


Slowly, and then all at once

by tstrash



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2018-12-24 03:54:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 59,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12004461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tstrash/pseuds/tstrash
Summary: This is an idea I got from someone about how their time away from skating helped define their relationship and what shape they want it to take. Of course I have no idea how it actually went down but this is what I would like to believe. I also didn't exactly line up the timelines but this takes place in 2015 when Tessa is about to debut her jewlery line. It's more than one chapter, so stick with it. Enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

She’s scrambling to get things done. Her premiere party in in 2 days and she has yet to pick out her tissue paper. Scott is waiting on her so they can get to rehearsal for their summer shows. They know the programs but it’s never redundant to practice. Her phone rings, she doesn't have time to answer another call, but it’s Scott. A welcome change.

“Hey Kiddo! How’s the jewelry coming?”

“I feel like I have so much to do in two days, but all that's left is tissue paper and pamphlet design but people keep phoning and emailing and I feel so scrambly. I’m so sorry, hi Scott, how are you?”

“It’s fine T, you sound busy... are you still good to practice tonight? If not that is totally fine.”

“Yes of course! I need the ice time, something other than this on my mind for once! Can you still pick me up?”

“I’ll be there in an hour, I won’t keep you much longer, you sound busy!”

“I’m sorry I’ll see you soon!”

She hung up the phone, getting back to her emails and such. There were a lot of photos to go through from her shoot with Hillberg and Berk and now the job was to go through the finalized images and see which ones will make the cut into the pamphlet. Before she knows it, it’s 7:30 and Scott is knocking at her door since she didn't notice the 5 texts he sent her telling her he was waiting outside Scott didn't wait for her to open the door, he just knocked and let himself in as per usual.

“Hey Tess” he peered in the door and noticed her sitting at the kitchen table with her computer out and papers everywhere and Tessa was on the phone.

Tessa turned around in her chair and smiled at him, then motioning for him to come take a seat at the table. He was a little bit early, but that wasn't unusual for him. He took a seat across from her at the table, waiting for her to be off the phone as she’s mouthing sorry to him as someone on the other end is obviously talking her ear off. Scott gave her a warm smile which put her mind a little bit more at ease. 5 minutes later, she’s finally off the phone.

“I am so sorry, let’s get going before someone else phone’s me. I swear they don't need me to confirm the venue, that’s up to the company” she said as she stood up from her chair and went to go grab her skating bag from the closet. She turned around and saw Scott following her and just listening to everything she had to say. Before she put everything in her bag, she brought him into a hug. “Hi Scotty, how was your day?”

“Pretty boring compared to yours” he said through a smile as he took her into his arms. “Typical day for Scott, get up, work out, eat, nap, and now I’m here.”

“Sorry for bombarding you with all of today’s issues”

“Stop apologizing, that’s what best friends are for” 

She pulled away from the hug to grab her bag. “Ready?” She asked and was halfway out the door. Scott moved past her to get to the car as she locked up.   
They had an awesome practice and ended up staying longer than planned. Tessa didn't mind, she needed the distraction from all the work that was waiting for her at home. It’s 12:30am and they’re sitting in her driveway after they agreed to stop and get hot chocolate on the home.

“Do you wanna come inside for a bit? I need more time before I force myself to work again”

“I'd love to.” He welcomed being invited in any chance he could. Spending time off the ice with Tessa was Scott’s favorite thing to do. He loved skating with her, but he also loved late night chats and drinking hot chocolate and just getting to spend time with his best friend. Almost on autopilot Tessa dropped her bag in the closet and went straight to the kitchen table, where her mess of papers and computer were still set up, anticipating her return.

“I thought you weren't ready to start working yet?” Scott asked her as he accepted the fact that she was going to go back to work. He went and assumed his spot in the chair across from her at the table. 

“I swear I didn't mean to, I have one thing to do that needs to be done asap. I am almost being harassed to get my tissue paper color in because they need to get the gift bags together right away.”

“Well I can help if you want... “ Scott responded shyly, not wanting to overstep her creative process.

“You want to help me pick out tissue paper color?” Her eyes looked up from her computer screen to meet his gaze. “I would love the help, but I’m warning you, I’m choosing from different shades of pink.” Tessa showed Scott the different options of tissue paper colors she had to decided between. 

“I don't get it, they all look the same” Scott said as he wondered why it was such a big deal to pick a shade of pink that were all the same color.

“No silly, this one is French rose, this one is pink, and this one is carnation. They are all different. I just cant decide which one I like the best” Tessa said as she laughed to herself. 

“What’s so funny?”

“The fact that I’m rambling about shades of pink to you when you clearly don't care”

“I do so care! I have an idea of how to pick the best one.. hold each one up to your face and let me get a good look.” Scott said as she did what she was told. He looked at each shade up against her skin, basing his decision on which one made her eyes pop the most. He made her do them all twice, humming and hawing, investing himself in the process. “Carnation, for sure.” He finally said with certainty.

“Are you sure? What’s your reason?” She questioned him not so sold on his answer. 

“It looks the best with your eyes. Makes the green go kapow!” with all the hand gestures and sound effects in tow. 

Tessa’s laughing at this point. “Well if your certain, then carnation it is! I’m sending it in, speak now or forever hold your peace, Moir” she said as she smirked. 

“Do it, I’m sold”

She finally responded to the ten emails all about the tissue paper color and slammed her laptop shut. Finally everyone could stop bothering her about it, and a weight could be taken off her shoulders. “I’m sorry this is not the kind of hang out we should've had, but if you want to come over later today I guess since it’s 1am, we can watch a movie or something”

“Yeah, I’d like that. You wont have any work to do?”

“Well, I’m hoping to get it done shortly since the party is now tomorrow.. I just have to go through some pictures”

“Why don't I come over a little early, help you sort through pictures and then hold you down so you watch a movie and relax for a little bit”

“You make me sound like a work horse, but I would like if you came over early. You were a great help already and I appreciate it, seriously Scott.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Scott finally made his way to the door, bid Tessa goodnight with a hug and a kiss on her forehead. “Get some sleep kiddo”

“Night Scott.” She shut the door behind him and immediately fell into bed. A feeling she has longed for the last couple of days, finally overcame her. She finally slowed down, and felt some sort of calm. She couldn't decide if it was because she finally chose a tissue paper color or because Scott somehow made her feel better. Either way, she feel asleep almost immediately with a smile on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2, pretty self explanatory. Enjoy! Please comment :)

When morning comes around, Tessa is still fast asleep. The calm she felt the night before has still taken over her body, forcing her to sleep longer than she has in a long time. She rolled out of bed and looked at her phone. It was 11am. She missed her 8am yoga class and her 10:30am spin class, but today she didn't mind. Still laying in bed, she answered some texts and emails, checked Instagram and twitter to see what she had missed out on considering she felt like she slept for half the day. Finally rolling out of bed, Tessa went out to the kitchen, made herself some coffee and some eggs and planted herself back at the mess that was spread over her kitchen table. She spent a couple hours chatting on the phone with various endorsers who would be joining her at her party, and talking to her business partners at Hillberg and Berk, sorting out last minute details for the party. Deciding she deserved a break, she headed of to the gym. A couple hours past and she was back at home. As she was walking through her front door her text tone went off. She dropped her bag in the door and checked her phone.

"Hey T! When is a good time for me to come over? And do you want me to bring anything?" It was Scott, and suddenly she felt calm and thankful that it wasn't someone pestering her about more business stuff.

"Hey! Just got home from the gym so I think I'm gonna clean up. If you wanted to come in a couple hours? Let's say 6? Oh and if you wanted to bring dinner, I would be the happiest you've ever seen me."

"Dinner it is, see you at 6!"

Tessa spent the next couple hours showering, cleaning up her house, sorting the papers on her table, doing the dishes and some other small house keeping jobs. She didn't really give much thought into getting dressed or ready so when 6pm hit and she was in sweats and a sleeping t shirt, with her hair still not brushed and no makeup on. She heard the knock and the door followed by the familiar creek of it opening. She pretended to not notice and started pounding out an email on her computer, and plead that she lost track of the time. 

"Hey T, I brought Chinese" Scott said as he walked over to the table. She looked up and met his gaze.

"Thanks. Sorry I am practically in pyjama's. Lost track of the time, didn't get a chance to put clothes on" she said as she started to stand up. "I'll go put clothes on right now" she laughed off trying to push the topic aside.

"I don't care, Tess. You know you always look beautiful...besides it's not like were going anywhere tonight" Scott said with a smile, reassuring her and stopping her from going to change.

"Thanks, Scott" Her cheeks flushed as she sat back down on the couch cracking open the different containers of food Scott brought.

As they were eating, they made small talk until Tessa opened up the email with the pictures she needed to decide on by the end of the day, and that was even after an extended deadline. 

"So I need 5 out of these 20 pictures. They have to capture the jewelry obviously and which ones I think are the most "me" but that's where you can help"

"Only five? That's going to be impossible! Look at how perfect you look in all of these!" Scott said pointing at the pictures then promptly running his hands through his hair. 

Tessa had entered one of her giggle fits, not sure why. A mix really of his presence, his easy way of making her feel comfortable, the way he compliments her but plays it coy, but mostly just how happy she is being with him.   
They looked through the pictures probably four times before Scott narrowed it down to ten.

"You're right, this is hard work, I see why you needed help." Scott said as he smirked at her and causally put his arm around her chair. Usually she doesn't mind or notice when Scott does this because it happens quite a bit but something about this time made her think about it. She liked when he would put his arm around her and she would unknowingly move in a little closer. Intimate but platonic enough to get away with it.   
Scott knew exactly what he was doing when he put his arm around her chair. He's been doing it for years. But something about the times he has had the opportunity to do it in the last few months of not competing has changed for him. He does it for the feeling of wanting to be near her and to protect her, hoping she'll do the little thing she does where she lets herself collapse into him.   
Tessa did exactly that. She felt his arm go around and she nestled herself into his side. It was like a well choreographed dance that they have been performing for a long time. 

"I think I like this one more then this one" Tessa said, pointing to two pictures up on the screen, comparing every little detail within the picture. 

"I agree, your smile in this one makes me feel something" Scott said looking down at that same smile. He then immediately corrected himself. "Not that I don't feel something through your smile all the time."

She's blushing again, it's so easy for her to feel this giddy around him, and she likes it. She straightens out her thoughts and back to the pictures. "You are totally right, my one eye looks funny in this one. Ok so I'll put this one aside in the yes folder." 

They had more or less of same banter back and forth through the remaining 8 pictures until they were satisfied with the five they had picked. Before she could think twice about her choices, Scott put the pictures into an email and sent it to who they needed to go to.

"Don't doubt it Tessa. They all look amazing!" 

"Thank you for helping me with this" 

"You don't need to thank me, I'm really happy for you Tess. This is an amazing experience for you."

"I wish you could come to the party tomorrow. It's nice having you around, like the calm through the storm." Tessa said, as she sighed and rested her head on her hand still looking at him trying to find a way to convince him to come. 

"You know I would love to come, but my cousin and her crazy birthday parties you know? All hands on deck. Besides you don't need me there anyways. I'll stick out like a sore thumb in a room full of women who know way more about jewelry then I ever will." 

"I know, I understand. Remember that movie we were going to watch tonight? I'm ready to relax finally..." Tessa said as she got up from the table and plopped herself in the corner of her couch, and crawling under a blanket. 

"I'll make the hot chocolate" Scott assumed she would want some and went to put the kettle on. "What are we gonna watch?"

"Don't know.. I was hoping you would choose" she told him turning herself around on the couch to look at him.

"Fine, what are my options?"

They went through Netflix until they settled on a random romcom. One of those one's you wouldn't think to pick, but one that looked interesting enough to give it a shot. Scott finished the hot chocolate and brought it over to her, then assumed his position next to her on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table. 

"You know if it was anyone else I would tell them to get their feet off my table, but since you have been such a big help, I'll let it slide this time" Tessa said shooting him a look and finishing it with a smirk before she turned her focus back to the movie.   
So badly, Scott wanted to pull her in and cuddle up to her, but he wasn't sure how she would react to it? Would she like it? Would she be hesitant? Did she feel the same? So he settled for "readjusting" his bum but scooting a little closer in the process.  
She so badly wanted him to take her into his embrace. Would he let her? Did he feel the same way? It's hard to tell with Scott sometimes what he's thinking. He's pretty emotional and wears his heart on his sleeve, but did his heart beat for her?  
It sure did.  
She noticed him scooting closer and decided to invite him in. "Did you want to share the blanket?" She asked him shyly, still watching the movie. 

"I mean I am a little cold" 

"C'mon" she said as she smiled and lifted the blanket for him to crawl under.

They had no choice but to be close. The blanket was only so big, but he obviously let her cover all the way up and there was only enough for him to cover his legs. He didn't mind, whatever made her more comfortable. Scott was really into the movie but as it was finishing up, he noticed Tessa had started to drift off, resting her head on his shoulder. He took advantage of this moment and moved in closer, you know, to make her more comfortable.   
She wasn't quite sleeping and knew full well what was going on. She made the move easier for him, finally giving in and nestling into his arms. She felt his grip from both arms around her waist, further falling into him. In no time, she had succumbed to his comfort and let herself fall asleep.  
He quickly followed her lead, also letting sleep take over. He woke up at about 1am, the Netflix home page still on the screen, and Tessa still in his arms. He really didn't want to move because finally his reality was better than his dreams. He decided it would be best to not push the situation, and gently nudged Tessa awake.

"Hey T, you should go to bed" he whispered into her ear, stroking her arm.

She opened her eyes and realized the position she was in and slowly sat up, ran her fingers through her hair. She sighed and yawned before she spoke. "You can stay over if you want, Scott... it's pretty late to be driving home." 

"That's okay, my house isn't that far" he said as she stood up and shot him a look as if she was saying "really?"

"Don't be stubborn, just stay. I want you to stay." She didn't know if that was her half conscious state talking or her heart. 

"Fine, I'll stay. But I have to get up early and get to my parents house, so if I'm gone before you're awake don't panic, alright?"

"Deal" she said as she started walking to her room before she turned around and saw him still sitting on the couch. "You think I'm going to let you sleep on the couch? Get over here." She said coaxing him in with that charm she had.

He didn't know what to say. Was she too tired to think properly? This all seemed to good to be true. "Oh don't worry about me, I'm fine out here."

"Scott, it's not like we haven't shared a bed before, you are just being silly now." She gave up trying to talk him into it and went back over to the couch, grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her down the hall to her bedroom. 

They got settled into bed, facing away from each other. Scott was not quite sure how to take this in, feeling the way he feels now, and trying to balance that with the amazing foundation they have built and put into their friendship, but he so badly wanted to cuddle her in and sync his breathing to hers.   
Thank God for Tessa and her half sleeping state sometimes. She turned over so she was up against his back, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek into his back.   
He found her hands against his chest and took them into his. Something about this felt so right. For a moment he didn't seem to care about what this might mean in regards to their relationship, but before he could snap out of his happy bubble, he was fast asleep.

 

He woke up just before 8 and rolled out of bed as quietly as he could. It seemed to work, considering he didn't wake Tessa. Before he left, he quickly wrote Tessa a note and placed it on the counter by the coffee machine where he knows she would see it.   
She woke up to an empty bed around 9 and for some reason it was a feeling that didn't sit well. Something about falling asleep next to Scott felt so right, and as if she could do it for the rest of her life. For once, she didn't check her phone right away but instead went out to make some coffee. Nothing could bring her mood down now. She saw the noted Scott had left sitting next to the coffee machine.   
"Thanks for letting me stay over last night... and the movie.. and the company.. and just being you. I owe you breakfast for leaving right away. Let me know how your party goes, can't wait to hear all about it. I'm proud of you T. Love you. -S"

As if this day could get any better than this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3! of either 4 or 5 I haven't decided yet. Please enjoy! comment :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was short in order to keep you guys interested and reading!

Spending the majority of her day figuring out what to wear to her party that night, Tessa was too busy to think about anything else. She felt every emotion. The nerves, were people going to like her jewelry? The excitement of a new opportunity after skating, relief that the process of creating it all was done. She went back and forth between three dresses, sending pictures to her mom and sister and a couple friends, who would all be at the event tonight, gathering opinions on which one suited the occasion the best so she could do her hair and makeup in accordance with her outfit. They all responded differently, stressing Tessa out and making an impulse decision on a plain, knee length black dress, that hugged her curves and fell low at the back. It was simple, and she could dress it up with her jewelry (obviously) and some colorful accessories. As it got later, she started to get more emails and phone calls congratulating her on the launch of her jewelry from various organizations and individuals. She was all ready to go when her mom and sister arrived to pick her up around 5pm.

Meanwhile, Scott had spent the day in Ilderton, helping his family with an afternoon barbeque birthday for his cousin. Birthdays in the Moir family were celebrated big. Everyone would come over to the farm and play games and drink and just have fun being in each others company. Scott had a blast with all of his family and friends for the afternoon when his mom reminded him around 5:00 that he should probably start getting ready for the evening. His mom and a couple of his female cousins were going out with him that evening to a very special party.   
Scott's cousins loved jewelry and Tessa which made it easy to convince them to join him for an evening, and his mom was sold when she found out Kate was going. And besides, she supported Tessa just as much as Scott in every one of their endeavors. The party at the Moir's would probably end up lasting all night so it didn't matter that four of them wouldn't be there. Scott assumed that he would probably be one of the only guys there, so he played it causal with grey dress pants and a white shirt. He didn't want to attract any attention away from Tessa, it was her night after all. His mom and cousins looked beautiful in their dresses that didn't match, but somehow all went together perfectly. Unfortunately, the party was in Toronto, making it a 2 hour commute for most of the close people in Tessa's life who were attending. The people from Hillberg and Berk thought it was a good idea because of the sheer amount of opportunities that came with a big city. But with some help from Kate, Scott booked a couple rooms at the same hotel Tessa was staying at for the night for himself and his family and being the only male on the trip, he got the good deal and didn't have to share a room with anyone. 

The drive felt like ages for Tessa. Her nerves were getting to her and 2 hours was a long time to let them sit with her. Jordan and Kate did their best to distract her with other thoughts but she couldn't help her mind from going to the nervous place. In times like these, she wished she was in Scott's company. He made it so easy for her to relax. His presence was enough.  
Scott was nervous to show up to a jewelry launch party when he really didn't have any interest in being there, except to see Tessa. Would he drive all this way to support her to have her not notice him or be unimpressed that he showed up? She would never think that but the thought still crossed his mind. It was getting closer to 8 when the Moir's pulled up to the venue, which according to the schedule they would have missed dinner, which is perfect. Scott just wanted to be there to see Tessa deliver her speech, show that he cares, maybe mingle for a bit and then dip back to the hotel. His palms were sweaty as he was walking in, so he stuffed them into his pockets. The lady who was sitting at the entry knew exactly who he was, and waved them in with no issue. He didn't spot her right away because she was in the wings of the stage, waiting to go up for her speech, but he had shot Jordan a text when they arrived asking her to meet them at the entrance. People started to recognize Scott right away, some jumping in right away to talk to him, others were shy but he knew they were staring. Jordan and Kate were standing close to the doors of the ballroom, waiting for their arrival, when Scott heard Jordan's familiar voice greeting him and wrapping him in a hug. The Virtue's and Moir's exchanged greetings like at a family reunion right at the front and before Scott could ask where Tessa was, they heard a voice come from the microphone on the stage. The founder of Hillberg and Berk addressed the audience with a few opening words about the collection and the impact she hope it has on people and all of the things you would say at an event like this. She moved on very quickly to introduce Tessa.

"Hi everybody, thank you for coming. My name is Tessa Virtue, and I am a two time Olympic medalist in ice dance, and I am a fashion and jewelry lover..." her speech went on and about halfway through, she spotted some very familiar faces standing at the back of the ballroom. There was only five or six men at this event, so she immediately brought her gaze to Scott after she had noticed her sister. She continued her speech, but couldn't help but wonder if that was really him back there, and Alma? And his cousins? One of who's birthday was today? No way they were here. Her eyes were for sure playing tricks on her. She finished up her speech and took in the standing ovation coming from the audience, but couldn't help but stare at the boy in the back who was staring at her the whole time.

He couldn't help but stare. She was so calm and confidant. And hot, very hot. But with a sense of beauty and elegance that could knock him to his knees in one hit. He hoped that once her speech concluded that she would make her way to the back where he was. But five minutes passed, then ten, and then fifteen. 

She wanted to see him so bad, but he was all the way at the back and there were so many people to talk to before she was even halfway to him.

He had done enough waiting. "I'm going to see if I can track down Tessa, I'll find her and drag her back here with me" Scott spoke with confidence, as he made his way into the crowd. He knew what had happened when he was stopped by random people who bombarded him with questions about the Olympics and jewelry and his favorite statement of all. "You must be so proud of Tessa." His response every time was "more than she will ever know." This same conversation happened about 4 times before someone had knocked his shoulder, obviously in a hurry to get by. 

"Oh sor- Scott?" Tessa said as she swung her head back, intending to apologize to the person she rammed on her way by.

Scott didn't say anything, he immediately brought her into an embrace that felt like it lasted a lifetime. He pulled away to get a look at her. "Wow Tess- you look stunning. And this whole party is incredible."

"How did you get here?"

"I drove"

"You drove to Toronto, missing your cousins birthday for a jewelry party? 

"I wanted to see how good my tissue paper color looked. It was the right choice. And obviously I wanted to support you and this once and a life time opportunity."

She went in to hug him again when someone bumped Scott from behind as they were passing by, forcing their forehead's to touch, and their noses to bump, and their lips to graze. 

"I'm so sorry" a squeaky voice came from behind Scott. He was wrapped up in this moment he almost didn't notice the person had bumped him. But reality set in quick and he pulled his head away quickly. " It's no problem" Scott turned around and said to the lady. He turned his head back around to Tessa who had taken a step back ad well, also quickly realizing what almost happened at her party. 

"Did I see your mom here?" Tessa said, quickly rerouting the conversation.

"Oh yes, of course she's here. And my cousins. They are so happy to be here, I was supposed to take you to them."

"Take me away!" Tessa said as she held his hand and they weaved through the crowded space. 

As Scott was holding Tessa's hand, leading her back to their families, his mind was going a thousand miles a minute. He almost kissed Tessa. In public. He wanted to. So bad. Did she? She was blushing. They were going to half to talk about this one. He really wanted that kiss to happen. Scott you're an idiot. Wait you're a genius. This is not how you wanted your first kiss with Tessa to go.  
His brain was a mess, but little did he know, hers was too. What just happened? Why did they pull away? She wanted to kiss him so bad. They have almost kissed on many occasions before. Why was she so giddy about this time? She didn't want to suppress her feelings anymore but will continue to do so. I think were going to have to talk about this. Her mind was jumbled. 

Before she knew it, she was at the back of the ballroom, greeting Scott's family, as Scott stood very close to her, almost serving as her protector. For the rest of the night she was calm, and it was all because Scott was with her. She had no doubts. They continued to walk around together and mingle. 

"I was waiting for them to leave, but do you think that there is something going on?" Jordan asked the group.

"I have no idea but if I didn't know them, I would say yes" one of Scott's cousins contributed.

Kate and Alma sat back and listened to the conversation play out. They both knew something was bound to happen between Tessa and Scott from the beginning, and none the less, this was interesting timing if it were the case.

Tessa dragged Scott along into every conversation, making them easier and easier to have. For interviews, he would stand by the side and wait for her to finish, before he would follow her to the next one, and she would talk about every interview and conversation after they were had, filling Scott in on who was who at the party. They had made their way over to the gift bag table, where there were rows of Tessa's bags lined with the pink tissue paper that caused her so much anxiety, and each had a pamphlet in it, containing the pictures Scott had chosen. He grabbed an extra pamphlet from the table and brought it up to look at.

"Wow, I picked some good pictures" he said with a smirk.

Tessa giggled "you think so? I don't know if I'm sold yet?

"Are you joking? Look at you Tess... I mean wow.."

"Thanks Scott.." she spoke softly as her cheeks started to blush and she was getting shy again.

"It was no problem, it was a fun little job trying to help you-" 

"I meant for coming. That's a long way to come for something you aren't interested in."

"What do you mean? I came for something I am interested in.."

"What is that?" 

"You" he looked her dead in the eyes as he said this, hoping he didn't just mess it all up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I was like yeah this will be 4 to 5 chapters...? I lied it's probably going to be a mega series, I have too many ideas. let me know what you think of my crazy ideas!

The rest of the party was a blur to Scott and to Tessa. 

He kind of just admitted his feelings to her…but he didn’t. But it was enough to make her think. 

Oh crap. I totally just ruined it all and now she’s scared and thinks I’m in love with her which I am, but I don’t want her thinking that. Wait, it was just about her jewelry. I played it cool, it’s fine. No it’s not. Crap Scott crap, what were you thinking? How am I going to bring this up to her. You know what? Fuck it. This is what I want and she is going to know by the end of the night that this is what I want. No more tiptoeing around her. She deserves to know the truth. Tessa has always gotten the truth so now shouldn’t be the time I hold back from her. 

Did he just do what I think he did? Because wow. That is a rush I have not felt in a very long time. But why am I so scared to say something back, I mean I know what I feel. Oh yeah, it’s this whole going on 18 years of togetherness thing. That’s not the easiest situation to transition out of. Maybe if I don’t address it, he wont remember? He’s had some wine tonight? Scott wouldn’t get drunk at this kind of thing though. Oh man what did I just get into. 

Scott had left Tessa for a little bit to get some air, and also talk to his mom and cousins some more, making it look like he isn’t totally avoiding them. The conversation was discussing plans to head back to the hotel soon until he saw Tessa coming up to the group again.

“Hey” Scott extended the welcome. “Were thinking that were going to head back to the hotel now, it seems to be dying down here.”

“Okay, let me know when you make it back. Thanks for coming you guys” Tessa said in her sweet voice as she bid goodnight to Scott’s family. She went up to Scott last to him a hug goodnight. “I’ll let you know when I’m back, I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight, let’s talk” she whispered calm but confidently into his ear. 

He pulled away to take a look at her face, attempting to see what she was thinking. She was just smiling right back, doing that thing she does where she will entice him with the smile but won’t give away all of her thoughts. Scott and his family left the party and caught a cab back to the hotel. The little breeze that was left on his ear from her whisper was haunting his every thought. The way it sent a shiver down his neck and down his spine, into the spot where her warm hand had rested on his lower back during the hug. He was infatuated and he didn't know if he would make it out. The cab ride felt like an eternity but they made it back. He shot Tessa a quick text.

"Made it back. Up in 304. I have a room to myself. Come by when you get here."

She was waiting for Scott's message and couldn't help but respond almost immediately. "Leaving soon."

That was the quickest she has ever responded. She is either very bored, or she was waiting for him to text her. 

About an hour later, Scott had changed into his pyjamas and crawled into bed to watch some tv. When the familiar pattern of Tessa's knock was at his door, he sprung up to let her in.

"Hey"

"Hey. You're still in your dress?" 

"Didn't bother going to change before I came up. Hope that is okay."

"Come in" Scott stepped to the side letting her in. She put her clutch by the door and kicked her heels off. "It feels so good to finally get these off" she said as she sighed in relief. 

Scott went to go sit back on the bed, and Tessa followed. 

"Did you want more comfortable clothes?"

"Do you have a shirt I can wear?" 

"Of course." Scott stood up again and went over to his suitcase digging for a sleeping shirt Tessa could wear. He tossed it towards the bed and went back down into his suitcase looking for sweats that would somewhat fit her. She was wearing a dress, and it's not like she had her own pants handy. He turned around to pass her the pants when he noticed that she had already changed into the shirt. "That was fast."

"Sometimes it's uncomfortable wearing a dress for that long, you know?"

"Well I can't say I have worn a dress before so no, I don't."

They had a laugh together before Scott turned to look at the tv, giving Tessa a little bit of privacy to put the pants on before he got back into bed next to her. They sat there for a couple minutes before one of them started to speak. 

"You know, I-" Tessa started.

"You don't have to say anything, T. I know what I said."

"What?" 

"I'm interested in you.."

"Well I would hope so, we've been skating for 18 years Scott"

"Not like that" at this point Scott had turned his focus back to the sports highlights on the tv. 

"Oh, okay..." Tessa had a shocked tone in her voice, but she was not surprised. She knew what he said, she just wanted to hear it again. 

The sexual tension could have been cut with a butter knife. They both turned their attention to the sports again. After a couple times, Tessa decided to cut.

"I am too you know..." she said quietly, almost hoping he wouldn't hear and slightly shifting her gaze towards him.

He was listening for any little sound that would escape her. The sports was just background noise to him. She said it back. He was not expecting that what so ever. "You are?" he said as he turned to look at her. He couldn't help but let a smile escape from his lips.

"Well yeah, it was inevitable Scott. One of us was going to slip up at some point, I just didn't think this was how it would have worked, or at this point."

"Do you think there would have been a better time?"

"I mean, we don't know if were going to compete again yet, but it looks like that it might happen. I was hoping I could hold it in till after the Olympics and we were officially retired."

"Are you worried? About getting into this now?" Scott was intrigued by her thought process now. 

"Honestly I am, there are too many what if's."

Scott didn't know what to say, so he did the next natural thing that came to him. He leaned in slow, pressed his forehead against hers, and let his press ever so gently against hers. This was one thing they haven't experienced together yet. Back in day of being 8 and 10, there was a variation of a kiss, and over the years cheek kisses were just endearment. But a kiss this electric on the lips, officially blurred the lines that were not crossed before. They might have been touched, but never crossed. 

She didn't want to end up kissing him, but this felt so right, she let her body take over. It was too easy with Scott. It felt like something they should have been doing for a long time. But those doubts and what if's could not escape her mind the whole time. She gently released from his kiss, but then jerked her head back. At a loss for words, Tessa sat there, just looking at Scott, until he picked up one of her hands and started to play with it in his own. 

"I'm just, I'm not sure. I'm sorry I know that is not really what you wanted to hear." Her gaze dropped down to their hands that were dancing with each other.   
He didn't let go right away, he let her words sink for a minute. 

"What are you afraid of Tess?" 

"Losing the best thing that has ever happened to me" she said down into her lap. 

"You think you'll lose me?"

"That's the fear, Scott. I just don't know where my head is at right now. I want to keep... you know.. kissing you and I know how I feel about you. But I also want the comeback and all of the emotions that come with skating, and I want the ease of knowing my partner is always there. But like this, I'm just not sure."

"But wouldn't it be more reassuring to skate with me as your boyfriend? That way I'm always there." Scott listened to her words, but couldn't quite understand her logic. Something was holding her back, and he isn't sure what it is. 

"I don't know.." she pulled her hand out of his and looked back up at him. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I think I just need to think about this for a little bit." She looked up at him with sorry eyes.

"Okay."

"Let's just go on tour next week, pretend that this didn't happen for the time being, and when we get back, I promise we will talk more. Just our skating for the next couple weeks, okay? By then I will be ready."

"It's okay, whenever you are ready is good with me."

The silence killed him. What did he just do? Did he actually just fuck up the best relationship in his life? He had no idea what the next two weeks would bring. 

"I'm going to go, Jordan is probably going to start wondering where I am soon. Let's set up a practice time when were back in London. We should probably get on the ice one more time before we go to Japan."

"Sure"

"Scott..."

"It's fine. I'll find us some ice in Ilderton and let you know."

"I'm sorry." She felt so guilty. She got up from the bed, collected her dress, shoes and clutch. "Thanks for the clothes" she said to him as she was opening the door. She noticed he had followed her to the door, so she turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. "A little bit of time, Scott. It's just two weeks" she said as she gave him a smile and started heading back to her room. 

He locked the door behind her, turned off all of the lights and flopped in the bed, pressing his palm to the spot where her lips left their last mark on his forehead. He felt like shit, and that was putting it nicely. He tried to remind himself that it was only two weeks, and he was only telling the truth. She deserved to know, and he is kind of relieved he said something. At least it gave Tessa time to think about it. She was right, he needs to give her time, so she doesn't jump into something she wasn't ready for, considering she has done that in the past. 

She probably punched the wall 7 times on the way back to her hotel room. Why was she so afraid to let Scott all the way in? He was mostly there, but just this one small detail constantly being left out or purposefully forgotten for the last 5 ish years when they both started thinking that this would be more than just a skating relationship. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to jump in fully with Scott. She was ready, but the thought of competing with her boyfriend scared her. The only way she knew how to effectively clear her head was to talk about it. This case wouldn't just be a sister to sister type chat. It was further deep seeded then that. She needed someone who knew her and Scott equally as well and who wasn't biased. Before she went into her hotel room, she called her sports psychologist. Now it was almost 2am so she wasn't expecting an answer, but she made sure to leave a message.

"Hey, it's Tessa. I was hoping you would have time to meet with me before Scott and I take off for our tour next weekend. Let me know, thanks. Bye." 

Short and concise. She didn't need to disclose much more right now. Everything would soon be revealed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 5! A little bit of insight into Tessa's therapy session.

Scott surprisingly got more sleep that night than he had anticipated he would. Maybe it's because Tessa didn't stay. Whatever the reasoning was, he still didn't feel rested. He woke up early to the text tone coming from his phone. His cousins and mom wanted to head out for breakfast before they went back to London early in the afternoon. So he got up, got dressed, and attempted to push away the feelings of last night for the time being.  
Tessa had woken up at about 9am. She slept maybe an hour. Not unusual for her to sleep little amounts every night, but an hour was new. She was sort of glad that Jordan wasn't in the room when she did wake up so that way she couldn't ask any questions right away. She was agitated and angry, but satisfied with her decision. It's only 2 weeks. They both could handle two weeks. Before she got the chance to rub the sleep out of her eyes, her phone rang.

"Hey Tessa, it's Linda. You called pretty late last night, is everything okay?"

"Actually why I wanted to talk to you. Do you have time this week to meet?"

"I can do as soon as tomorrow. What does your schedule look like?"

They planned to meet later in the day so Tessa could get her morning routine and workouts done without any worry of running out of time. Tessa was heading back to London as early as possible. While the thrill of the party that happened the night before still gave her energy, she just wanted to curl up on her couch and relax. After Tessa had woken up, got dressed and ready for the day, Jordan came back in the room with Kate, bringing coffee and bagels.

"Hey T, how was the rest of your night?" Jordan said with way too much enthusiasm, and also hinting at her to share some details.

"It was fine" Tessa was trying to be nice, but it didn't really sell to Jordan or Kate.

"You sure?" Jordan asked

"Yeah, positive. What did you guys bring me?"

"Just some coffee and a bagel" Kate said, trying to lighten the mood in the room back up again.

They conversed over their breakfast, all three of the swiftly avoiding the topic that was Tessa going to see Scott right after she got back to the hotel the night before. They finished up their food and drinks and Kate went back to her room, giving all three of them time to back up their stuff. Tessa carefully took the clothes that Scott let her wear the night before and put them into a side pocket in her bag, making a mental note to give them back the next time she saw him.   
The drive back to London was quiet. Tessa didn't have much to say and Jordan and Kate picked up on this very quickly. They didn't force conversation, they just listened when Tessa talked, and responded properly. Conversation was halted when Tessa received a text from Scott.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know my mom gave up her ice time for us on Tuesday at 11am, hope that works. Let me know"

"See you Tuesday." was her response, and that was enough.

"Tess, hello back there?" Jordan tried to get Tessa's attention from the front seat, but Tessa was too fixated on her phone.   
Once she had exited out of the texting app, the picture of her and Scott in Sochi, when he was wearing the poncho flag and she was keeled over laughing was still her background. It made her think about even during the tough times in their career, Scott was always there for her, so why would it be different if they were together?

"Tessa!" Jordan finally put some snap in her voice to get Tessa's attention.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. What's up?" Tessa said apologetically, quickly removing her gaze from her phone.

"I asked if you were coming over for dinner tonight, but you didn't respond"

"Oh sorry, I don't know, I kind of just want to hang out at my own place tonight, you know?" Tessa said weakly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay, well let me know if you change your mind. Or if you want me to come over" Jordan offered.

Before she knew it, she was being dropped off at her house back in London. She bid her sister and mom goodbye and promised to go for lunch with them before she left for Japan on Friday. She didn't even bother to take her bag to her room once she got in, she just left it at the door, went to the couch, curled up with a blanket and cried. She had been holding that in since the night before when she decided she wanted to leave. She cried for at least 10 minutes until she finally picked herself up, talked some sense into herself, and decided to go to a yoga class, that usually helped to calm her down. 

 

Scott's morning in Toronto kind of turned into a whole day affair, with his cousin wanting to do some shopping for her birthday before they headed back to London.   
Scott was at home, unpacking his stuff and finished doing so way quicker than he thought. He figured it was because he was missing a few articles of clothing, but it was a good sign she hadn't tried to force them back to him right away. He went on with his night, cooking some dinner and watching sports. He didn't feel like doing much else. 

Tessa had come home from her yoga class and changed into Scott's sweats. Something about them were way more comfortable than her own. She fell asleep at about 8pm and slept the whole night. Maybe the crying helped tire her out. 

Tessa had gone through her entire workout Monday morning with little distractions. The only one that kept creeping it's way into her mind was the conversation with Scott in the hotel in Toronto. She still didn't know what to do about the whole situation, so good thing she was on her way to meet with Linda. She finally reached her office, and took a deep breath before she got out of the car. They greeted each other like old friends would after reuniting. 

"So tell me, what has been going on with you?" Linda started.

"I'm sort of at a crossroads and I don't know what's the right thing to do."

"Explain some more..." Linda was intrigued.

Tessa had told Linda everything. From the time five years ago when the thought of being with Scott romantically had first entered her mind. And the time at their combined family dinner before they left for Sochi and how they snuck out of Scott's farm house to go watch the stars down a remote dirt road, and how she had never felt more connected to someone. She told her about how she never let those feelings develop into the romantic sense. It was easier to just focus on their skating as two friends, business partners, and not romantically involved. She told her about the last few nights, where they would have sleepovers, and Scott was being really helpful and supportive with her jewelry line. And then the almost kiss at the party, the admission of feelings, and the real kiss, and how she left after and then punched a wall and cried.   
Linda has a great poker face. While she would react to some things Tessa was saying to show she was still listening, she had the same thought the whole time.

"So do I risk the foundation we already have to put my selfish romantic feelings ahead our strong partnership? I guess that is what I'm asking." Tessa said, exasperated. 

"Why did you tell him no that night in the hotel?" She flat out asked. No extra word usage or psychology tricks here.

"I don't know, I think that I'm just afraid.." Tessa admitted.

"Of what?"

"If we were go into a relationship and something were to happen, but we decided to commit to come back and skate competitively more, I wouldn't know how to handle that. I would lose skating and Scott. What if we weren't meant to be in a romantic relationship, and I'm just dreaming up what everyone else thinks should happen?"

"So don't think about it that way. I know that probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but it sounds to me that you really want to be with him. And if doubts in the relationship is stopping you, then that is something you need to talk to Scott about. You can't hide from him Tessa, and don't let other people help you define your relationship. You have to figure that out on your own and decide if you want to play a game of back and forth with the feelings with him. Is it worth it to put your heart through that? I get that it might be hard right now to face the music, but listen to it and what the lyrics are saying. I think you have your answer, it's just up to you to sing it."

"So you think it's a good idea?" Tessa quizzed her.

"I won't answer that, but I think it was an inevitable situation that was going to be addressed one way or another." Linda admitted.

Tessa paused in an attempt to bring her thoughts together. 

"How about this. Go to your practice tomorrow, see how it goes. Maybe skating will inspire your choice. In the mean time, see if you can get Scott to come in and see me. I'll give him a call, but remind him. I think this is a story I would like to hear from both sides." Linda concluded.

Tessa agreed that it would be a good idea to get Scott to talk to Linda as well. Maybe her advice would rub off on him and give him some inspiration about what to do next.   
Tessa left Linda's office more confused than before, but she was forced to think a little bit harder, and listen to the words of the song that was playing not so far in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh la la, what will Scott think about Tessa going to see Linda? What will Linda tell Scott? Stay tuned :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this went in a very different direction that I had initially thought it would, but I am really happy with where it went. Sometimes I just write what I'm thinking in the moment and that's what this chapter was. Let me know what you think.

Tessa was sitting outside the Ilderton rink on Tuesday morning, contemplating whether it was a good idea to go inside or not. She was still stirring over her thoughts from her conversation with Linda the day before, but she did say not to avoid him. So, she took a couple of deep breaths, grabbed her bag, and headed inside. As soon as she walked in, she saw Scott talking to the rink manager, who they both had become very fond of over the years. She wasn't going to let Scott ruin her chance at catching up with the old rink guy, so she walked right past Scott during his conversation to hug the man.  
The three of them conversed for a few minutes, with Tessa letting the conversation flow, but not really acknowledging Scott's presence like she usually does. Once they finished their conversation, Tessa was quick to walk away into the rink to do her stretches. She didn't noticed that Scott had planted himself beside her to do his.

"Hey" he spoke softly.

"Oh, hey" she was just as soft and quiet back.

"So Linda called me this morning, she said she wanted to meet with me before we left Friday, but I should talk to you first. Wanna fill me in?"

"I went and saw her yesterday. Needed someone to sort out an issue with. That's all really." Tessa said matter of factly. Not feeling the need to say anymore.

"Tessa, what's going on?" he pleaded with her.

"I'm sorry Scott, I really am. For everything, but I just need some space. I want to skate and practice our numbers before we go. But I just need some time."

"I know you need time, and that's okay. I told you to take all the time you need. I just want to know why you went to talk to Linda right away and not me?" he was confused at this point. 

"I just needed someone who was unbiased but who knew us best. Please just go talk to her, do it for me?"

"Fine, I already said yes. I'm going this afternoon." 

The rest of their stretches were silent, and Tessa had walked over to the bench to lace up her skates. She didn't notice she was crying until a warm tear dropped onto her hand that was tying her skates. She didn't know why she was crying. She didn't know why this whole situation with Scott was so hard. It obviously had something to do with inner feelings about how she really saw Scott, but that fear she discussed with Linda was still too fresh.  
Practice was quiet and short and running through How Will I Know 3 times was painful. Forced to feel all of these emotions through the number that Tessa didn't want to feel made Scott more anxious, giving his hands a tighter grip on her. She could feel he was also ridged while skating. He just wanted to her to relax and feel the music and the movements that they had practiced so many times before, and had naturally felt on many occasions.  
She couldn't wait to get off the ice. Usually she would use skating as her escape, but this was more torture. This didn't seem like the way to get clarity with her situation with Scott. If anything, it drew her more to him, and she wanted to let him in so bad, but she couldn't do it. As she was untying her skates, Scott sat next to her. He had already taken his skates off and seemed like he was in a hurry, but he took the time to stop before he left.

"I just wanted to thank you for getting me to go see Linda. I think it'll be good for us."

"I'm glad you want to go. We should talk before we get on a 10 hour plane ride together. Come over tonight when you're done. I'll make dinner."

"Thanks T, I'll text you later." he said as he got up and walked out. 

She watched him walk out. He didn't look back like he usually does, and she was okay with it. Otherwise nothing would've stopped her from running into his arms and forgetting about her logical reasons for saying no in the first place.

 

Scott wasn't sure why he needed to go see Linda, but he did to make Tessa happy. He would do anything to make her happy. He knew how he felt towards Tessa, he didn't need to talk it out with anyone, but he figured that maybe Linda would have some good things to say. He sat down in the chair across from her as she began.

"Hi Scott. I do not know how much Tessa told you about why she came to me-"

"Nothing really"

"Okay well, let's start with you. What are your concerns with your current situation?"

"I don't have any concerns. That's the concern. I am so sure I want to be with Tessa, but she isn't so sure. But I think she knows what she wants, something is holding her back."

"How often do the two of you talk about coming back to competitive skating?"

"Almost everyday. Wait, is that what this is about? She secretly doesn't want to return to competition?"

"That wasn't the question, Scott, I was just going to ask you what a conversation about coming back looks like?" she said as she tried to calm his anxiety.

"We don't pay much attention to them. They usually go something like "wanna skate competitively again?" "I do, but I need more of a break" "Okay, well come back to it" and that's pretty much it." Scott imitated the conversations he and Tessa would have daily.

"So do you want to skate competitively again?" 

"I do, I don't have doubts about it." 

"I see. Do you say it to Tessa like that?"

"That blunt? No. I don't want to scare her away with my sureness."

"What do you think is holding her back?"

"Well now I don't know.." Scott tried to collect his thoughts. He knew Linda was doing the thing she does where she forces him to think about things he could've done on his own, but chose to supress. He pondered this question for a minute as Linda sat quietly and watched the wheels start to turn in his head. "She doesn't want our personal relationship to hinder our comeback, I think I knew that, but what do I do to reassure her that it wont?"

"That I can't tell you, that is something you need to talk to Tessa about. But I have a feeling you won't have a hard time persuading her one way or another with what you come up with." 

The conversation didn't go much farther because Scott was too busy thinking and analyzing everything Linda had brought up. He started driving, but not really in any specific direction. He did a lap around the outskirts of London before he finally decided to drive to Tessa's house. Even though he had a lot to think about, he was still sure he loves Tessa. He pulled up in front of her house and sat there for a minute, deciding whether he wanted to talk today, or if he needed to think some more. He gave up sitting in silence, he knew what he wanted, he needed Tessa to figure out the rest. 

"Hey I'm sitting outside, do you want to just go for a drive?"

"I'm glad you said that, I haven't even started dinner yet. Give me two minutes."

Two minutes later, Tessa was outside. She was freshly showered and in jeans and a plain t shirt with a soft cardigan overtop. Her hair was thrown up into a bun and her makeup wasn't there. Just the way Scott liked to see her. She opened the passenger door and slumped down into the seat. 

"Hey"

"Hey"  
This seemed to be the start of all of their conversations lately. Not that they weren't comfortable with each others presence, but the whole kiss thing had an easy way of making things awkward.

"So how was meeting with Linda?" Tessa asked deciding to break the silence. 

"I haven't stopped thinking since I left" Scott tried to crack joke out of this. "But it was good, I see why you went." 

They sat there for a few seconds in silence, secretly hoping the other one would talk first. Scott had subconsciously started driving towards their ice cream spot just down the road from Tessa's house. 

"She told me you want to skate competitively again..." Scott brought up shyly as he pulled into a parking spot at the ice cream shop.

"She's not wrong. I'm just not ready quite yet." Tessa said quietly, finally making eye contact with him. 

"I'm not ready either. You can tell me this stuff Tess, we have this conversation everyday."

"I know, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you every time but I wanted to be 100% sure."

"So you're 100% sure now?"

"Yes..."  
He could sense the hesitation behind her answer, and decided to push some more, thinking it was now or never.  
"What's really holding you back Tess?"

"You"

"Me?"

"Yeah"

"Oh.." That was a short answer that he was looking for but not at the same time. "Care to elaborate?" 

"I'm sure of everything Scott. I want to skate, I want to be with you. Just not so sure about the timing of it all you know?" she said with certainty but shrugged her shoulders at the end.  
He was shocked she put it all out there for him. 

"You must have had a lot of time to think, huh?" He immediately thought to himself "why did you say that, Scott? You are so stupid!"

"I've been thinking ever since the kiss, Scott."

"What did you think?" he pushed some more.

"It was amazing, then I'm frustrated, then I'm upset, then I'm happy, then I talked to Linda, then I felt calm, then I felt anxious, and now were here."  
Scott sat for another moment in silence before Tessa piped up again. "Can we go get ice cream now? I've been starting at all the people coming out with some for too long." What a Tessa thing to say. She let out a giggle, hoping to lighten the mood again. 

"Sure" Scott chimed in with his laugh as they made their way out of the car and into the shop. 

They found little things to talk about while waiting in line, like how people who work in customer service either are too happy or too sad working their job, and then debating which one of them would be better at a customer service type job. They made it to the front of the line and Scott ordered bubble-gum and Tessa ordered chocolate, which could have been predicted. They took their cones and went back to Scott's car, continuing the small talk while enjoying their ice cream.

"You know what the hardest thing is?" Tessa asked boldly.

"What?"

"The fact that it's so easy with you." She let the words fall out easily, like they have been sitting there the whole time. "I think I have a solution...." she said shyly as she sat back and waited for his answer.

He was floored by what she was saying. He was expecting to be the one to have to initiate the conversations with Tessa about them. Scott sent her a look to continue her thought, so she did.

"I think we should go on tour as Tessa and Scott the skaters who have been partners for 17 years and nothing more. Let's treat it like a competitive season-"

"Oh well-" Scott wanted to give his two cents. 

"Just wait." She respectfully cut off his thought. "With that being said, I'm not opposed to testing out the relationship water during our "competitive" tour. That way both of us can gain a better understand about what it would be really like. But at the same time, I want you to know I am not going to force any of my feelings. Whatever I say or do or feel is going to be spur of the moment what I am feeling, and there won't be any pressure behind it."  
This news was music to his ears. He was thrilled at the chance to explore this new chapter with Tessa and was nervous because he didn't know if he would be able to control himself with this new idea in his head. He brought his excitement level back down, trying not to show too much emotion.

"That is a good solution" he said, inevitably cracking a smile. "I will do the same. I'll let my feelings feel whatever they want, not that I don't know what they want already, but yeah, no pressure is good. Let's enjoy it."

The conversation was so easy and back to where it was before Saturday night, they both sealed the truce with their handshake and Scott headed back towards Tessa's house. As he pulled up in front of her house she asked out of the blue. 

"Do you want to come in for Tea or Coffee or anything?"

He wanted to so bad, but apart of this truce was taking it slow, so he figured it was best for his feelings to head home. "Nah, I'm good. I have lot's to do in two days before we leave for over a month, so I should probably get some sleep tonight."

"Oh, okay same here probably, considering I haven't packed yet, and that isn't normal for me." She's usually packed at least a week before. 

"Too much thinking?" he cracked a smile at her and she giggled and nodded yes to him. "I'll walk you to the door though."

"I'd like that."

She opened her own door, considering it was a slow and casual process and started walking up the steps to her front door. He followed close behind, letting her reach the door first to turn around and watch him take the last step up. In the position they have found themselves many times before. Face to face, close but not quite touching. 

"Night Tess" Scott said as he leaned in, put one hand on her waist and gave her a kiss on the forehead. As he was about to pull away, she put her hand on his arm that was resting on her hip and pulled him closer again.

"I thought we were testing the water?" She questioned, batting her eyelashes at him and leaning in farther, initiating a soft and quick kiss on his lips. She pulled away, looked up and smiled at him " good night Scott." She opened her front door and let herself in, leaned against the door after closing it, with a smile on her face that could no be erased.

He was planted on her front step, once again floored by what had just happened. He didn't think that their truce would start until the tour started but he wasn't about to complain about the night he just spent with Tessa.

If this was testing the water, they both were about to jump in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will the tour turn out to be all sunshine and rainbows? Who knows...


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7! All the positive feedback on this series has kept me writing so thank you all so much!

He somehow managed to drive himself home that night, but couldn't seem to get himself out of his car once he was in his driveway. He knew why. It was Tessa. It was always Tessa. He wishes he had stayed over, but the damn truce didn't make things easy. He hummed and hawed about going back over and saying that he actually really wanted to come in for some coffee, but he knows that more would happen between them then what should at this stage in their relationship. Tessa still was learning to let him in all the way and he respected that, not wanting to push her into anything too quick.  
But distance killed Scott.  
So, he balanced the boundaries with his desires, deciding to send her a text instead.

"Thank you for being honest with me. Tonight was amazing, can't wait to see you Friday :)"

Finishing his text, he grinned and willed himself inside his house. After he locked up and turned off the lights in the doorway, he guided himself down the dark hallway to his bedroom with his phone flashlight. He took off his clothes, planning to sleep in his boxers as per usual. He vowed he would only sleep in clothes if he was sharing a bed with Tessa. Because boundaries. He brushed his teeth and could not help but smile like an idiot in the mirror the whole time. He finally decided to lie in bed for the night, but he was too happy to even think about sleeping.

 

It took her a while to pick herself up off the floor from her front entrance. The spell that Scott could so easily cast on her left her weak. She danced all the way to her bedroom, changed into her pyjama's and did her night time routine. She was so transfixed on her happiness, she didn't even notice she received a text. As she feel into her bed still giddy, she covered herself up all the way to her chin, hoping to recreate a little bit of the warmth that Scott would usually give her. She tossed and turned for an hour, putting in a solid effort in attempting to sleep. She finally gave up and checked her phone. Scott's text had been sitting there for about an hour. Swiping her screen, taking her to her messages, she read Scott's text and couldn't help herself. The smile that was plastered on her face would've been contagious, if anyone else was there to see it. She meticulously thought of a response, keeping the truce in mind.

"You make me so happy." That was vague, right? It was honest, at least.

She chose to set her phone down, thinking that if Scott were to text her back, she wouldn't get any sleep tonight because the conversation would keep going and neither of them would be able to give it up. It was the honeymoon phase where they could say good night ten times and neither of them would actually want to end the conversation.  
The truce was very real, and she wanted to respect that, and she knows Scott would want to as well, so she decided she would end the conversation then say she fell asleep when she texted him back in the morning. She rolled over, facing away from her phone that sat on the night stand, cuddling up to the extra pillow, hoping it would suffice. 

 

Scott read her text, and his heart melted into a puddle that collected in his stomach. Her texts were enough to turn him into a love struck little boy. He couldn't believe how fast things were moving with Tessa, even though they agreed to take it slow. Before he could think too much about where their relationship could go still, he found a comfortable position in bed, and dozed off to sleep. 

 

The next morning came fast and both Tessa and Scott were up early, preparing for their month long tour through Japan and China. They spent the day packing and organizing their things, occasionally sending texts to one another, confirming certain articles of clothing they both needed to pack. 

"Canada jacket?" Tessa sent.

"Yep got it. You're taking the purple dress for HWIK, right?"

"Yeah, so you can pretty much wear whatever."

"Black it is."

Little conversations like this filled their day, discussing many potential costumes and what Canada apparel they would take, considering the show requested they match. For group numbers, they would get fitted for costumes once they arrived, but they were on their own for individual programs. They also had to think about outfits that required them to dress up. 

"You have a suit? Or at least a dress shirt, a tie, and dress pants?"

"Don't have a full suit that fits very well, so a dress shirt and a couple ties and some pants will probably be it."

"Should be fine, you should find yourself a suit though.."

She didn't expect Scott to take her advice, but he almost took it too literally. He stopped his packing in it's place and jumped in his car, heading for the suit store down the street. He spent an hour and a half with the sales associate, picking out a simple black suit that fit him properly and could be matched to essentially anything Tessa wore, all it would need was the right color tie. On his way home, his urge to see her was getting the best of him, so he stopped at Tim Horton's, grabbed 2 hot chocolates and headed to her house. Carefully manoeuvering the two drinks in one hand and the suit in the other, he had no choice but to ring the doorbell because there was no way he could open it himself. 

 

Not many people ring her doorbell anymore, not even Scott. Her mom and sister just walk in and Scott knocks before he eventually just walks in. When she finally emerged from her bedroom with clothes lying everywhere, she went to open the door. To her surprise, Scott was standing at the door, hands were full.

"Oh, Scott, hey!" 

"Hey!" 

Tessa reached out her hands to grab the tray of drinks that was in his one hand as he readjusted his grip on the bag his suit was in. She walked back in towards the kitchen, setting the tray on the counter before she turned back around to him. 

"I wasn't expecting to see you till Friday" she said as she waited for him to finally make his way to the kitchen. 

"I know, I wasn't planning on it either, but I figured you needed a break from packing, I did too, and hot chocolate is a good break I think" he said as he moved closer to her and kissed her forehead.

"And what's in the bag?" she asked him with a smile creeping on her face. 

"Oh" he exclaimed as he pulled away from their half embrace and went over to the bag. "You were right. I do need a suit that fits, so I went for a little drive and ended up at the store in the main street mall, now here we are!" He started to open the bag then was stopped by her words.

"Go put it on, you have to model it, not just on the hanger" Tessa said as she entered a mini giggle fit, giddy over the fact that Scott splurged on a suit because she said to. 

Scott took the bag over to the washroom, leaving Tessa in the kitchen sipping on her hot chocolate, waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. 

"Now you know how bad I am at tying ties, so you'll have to help me" Scott yelled from the bathroom as he opened the door and walked back out into the kitchen. 

Tessa had fallen and she had fallen hard. If she didn't have any self control she probably would've hit the floor. Instead her face lit up, eyes bright, and smile brighter. "Very handsome, it's perfect Scott."

"You think?" he said as he readjusted the collar and handed her the tie.

"I do think" she said as she lifted herself on to her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek and then proceeded to tie his tie. She stepped back to take another look at him. 

He pulled her into him, placing his hands on her hips and her arms found home on top of his, slowly caressing them. They met each others gaze when Scott asked "am I dateable like this?" 

Her cheeks flushed and she let out a little laugh. "You don't need to wear a suit for me to want to date you." She smiled at him.

"Phew, cause I don't want to wear this all the time" Scott sighed in relief. He stayed around for a couple hours, talking mostly about anything and everything, and going through what Tessa had packed, making mental notes about what he would need in relation to what she had. "I should probably get going, my suitcase is not going to pack itself, and I have dinner at the farm tonight. Last time I'll see the whole gang together for a little while." Scott said as he started heading towards the door.

"I don't want you to leave..." Tessa said, pouting her lip and following him towards the door. "Thanks for the hot chocolate."

"Friday will be here before you know it. I miss you already Tess" he pulled her in for a hug where his arms snaked around her waist and hers went up and around his neck. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in the scent that can only be described as Tessa. 

There was no need to talk, they just felt each others bodies against their own, taking in the comforting feeling of just being together. They both released from the embrace at the same time, giving each other a reassuring smile. Scott moved his hands into hers, giving them a squeeze. He knew he should've just left, but he couldn't help himself. He leaned in quickly, giving her one kiss and walking out the door. He knew that if the kiss was any slower, he wouldn't have been able to leave.  
She closed the door behind him and watched him leave out the window, waving to him as he pulled away. She went back to her room, continuing her packing marathon, plugging her phone into the speaker giving some background music to the gruelling process.  
The communication for the rest of the day was few in far between. Scott was busy spending time with his family and Tessa was stressing over the possibility of forgetting something, checking and rechecking her bags. When she decided she was done for the day, she curled up on the couch in the corner, pulling the blanket over her, and put on Moulin Rouge. Not a classic Audrey movie like she would usually choose, but something drew her to something different. Maybe it was because Scott liked the movie that made her choose this.  
Scott had been visiting with many family members, discussing anything and everything people wanted to talk about. He was ready to head home after the party had died down and he helped clean up. He got home late and all he could think about was Tessa.

"One more day and then a whole month to figure it out, is that what you meant by needing time?" Scott shot her a text. His curiosity got the best of him. This was one topic they didn't touch on after Tessa just mentioned needing time. How much time? Time together? Time apart? 

She pulled her eyes away from the movie when she heard her text tone. She read Scott's message, and immediately felt like she was about to take a step back, but honesty was important in the truce, and they wanted to take it slow, so this was her just enforcing the truce. 

"Not exactly... let's discuss this on Friday. I didn't really give you a good explanation about that but It's something we should talk about in person."

His response sent back fast. "Okay, that is totally fair, night Tess." 

She put her phone down on the coffee table, not knowing what to say to Scott, almost fearing she would make the situation worse. Instead of overthinking it, she just fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Tessa. Can't help but stir things up.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the next one. Things move slowly, please be patient. I don't want to rush this story cause now I'm invested in it myself. Enjoy :)

The next couple days were a blur to Tessa and Scott. Constantly moving, trying to pack a month of their lives into a suitcase and a carry on was harder than it looked. Making sure they had their house checklists set up for their moms who would be checking in on their houses while they were away, and spending time with family that were in town briefly, but then they would not see for months after took up the rest of their time in London. Kate had generously offered to take them to the airport to avoid dealing with long term parking, and it was not much of a hassle. 

“Hey, I’ll be there to grab you around 3, that’s okay still, right?” Tessa texted Scott Friday morning between checking and rechecking all of her bags. She couldn’t help but check her skating bag many times, wondering if she had all of her lucky socks and other articles of clothing she would need.

“Sounds perfect, see you soon :)” Scott shot his quick reply as he was also very busy.   
3pm rolled around and Tessa and Kate had pulled up to his house. Kate stayed in the car, until she needed to get out and help with bags. Tessa went up to the door, knocked and then promptly let herself in. She noticed Scott was rushed, running back and forth making sure everything was in place and that he wasn’t forgetting anything. He didn’t even really notice that Tessa had walked in.  
“Hey” she called out to him, catching his attention.  
“Hey, can you help me see if you can find my Under Armour track pants? They were on the dryer a minute ago and then I took them off to pack them but I don’t know where I set them down” he asked her as he went to go check his room again.  
She followed behind him into his room, seeing his suitcase on the bed, closed but not locked. “Did you pack them already?”  
“I don’t think so, that would be really dumb of me.”  
Tessa went over to his suitcase, unzipped it and found the track pants sitting on top. “These pants?” She asked him, pointing to the pants already folded and packed away.   
Scott walked over to meet her, looked at the pants and put his palm to his forehead. “Gah, you saved my life” he said to her, putting a kiss on her cheek, then going to zip up and lock the suitcase.He hauled his bag over to the door to meet his skating bag and his carry on bag, taking one last look, making sure it was all fine, grabbed 2 of his bags, leaving Tessa to take his backpack. He was met by Kate who offered to help him put his bags in the car as Tessa brought the last one. Car conversations with Kate were easy. They never talked about their relationship or their skating.   
The drive was quick to the airport. They both said goodbye to Kate with hugs and kisses as they loaded their bags onto a cart and headed in the airport.   
The pain of checking bags and waiting in security lines always stressed Tessa out when she was by herself. But this time since Scott was there, she was a little more at ease.   
As they were waiting in line for security, Scott was standing behind Tessa and could sense that she was tensing up a little bit. It was a crowded line so anything he would do, someone was bound to see it. But he went for it anyways. Something reassuring that they did all the time but subtle enough that it wasn't overly affectionate. He gave her arm a little squeeze and she immediately turned her head around to him with a smile before her name was callled to go next.   
They got through security with no trouble, and found 2 chairs to wait in by their departure gate. Their first stop was in Vancouver, where they would catch their connecting flight to Tokyo 2 hours after they arrive.   
Scott had a magazine and Tessa was engulfed in a novel as they sat and waited for their boarding announcement. They would have small conversations when Scott would find something in his magazine he felt like he needed to share. This felt like a good distraction to Scott when he made the decision that he was going to talk to Tessa about the timeline of their relationship on this flight. The next one was long and overnight, making it an easy decision for both of them to want to sleep. The boarding announcement came over the loud speaker and they grabbed their bags and got into line to board.  
Tessa gave Scott the window seat even though she loved it, knowing that he would end up being cranky if he had to sit in the middle.   
He inisisted she take the window and he would sit in the middle but they had to make a decision quickly because the man that had the aisle seat was waiting to sit. So Scott gave into Tessa's wishes and slumped into the seat next to the window, leaving Tessa with a wide grin.  
Scott let the flight take off and get in the air for a little bit before he cautiously decided that he would bring up the text Tessa had sent him the other day. He looked over to the man sitting on the other side of Tessa. He was busy, on his laptop with headphones in and everyone else seemed preoccupied but he kept his voice low just incase. 

"So, your text the other day" he said softly, pulling Tessa's attention away from her book. 

"Oh yeah, it's Friday, I promised you an explanation" she said hesitantly at first. 

"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to it's okay."

"No, you deserve honestly, that's how we're gonna make this work." She said as she sighed trying to collect her thoughts. " I guess when I originally told you I needed time, in my head I was thinking post skating comeback and post Olympics. That's when I wanted to try a relationship with you. But our truce happened and then I sort of thought twice about waiting until after 2018 because that's still just over 2 years away, and I didn't know if I could wait that long without going a little crazy. So there is where the truce came in, we both agreed to test the water, which I still want to do. But I don't think it's fair to either of us to have our relationship defined after a month. Scott, we've basically been together for 18 years and this is a big step for me at least in a different direction than where we have gone in the past." She stated at Scott moving her hand into his lap, anticipating his reply.   
He took his hand in hers, and continued to look at her, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You're right. It's not a lot of time. We don't have to define our relationship. We don't ever have to if you don't want too. I guess what I meant by the month is that it will either make it or break it for us, you know?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Isn't that the test period we agreed on?"

"I mean we kind of already broke that... we started early, so we could end late? Or never end. We don't know till we try, Scott."

"I mean I know I never want it to end.." Scott brought his voice back down again, and rested his head on her shoulder. 

She leaned herself farther into him, resting her head on his. "Me neither."

They say like this, both comfortable with their positions and where the conversation had led them. It was a different direction than either of them had anticipated. Tessa was opening up to Scott, and he was careful not to scare her off. She would talk, he would listen. She would pitch an idea and he would agree and make further suggestions. It was a balance that made their relationship work.   
The flight was starting its descent into Vancouver when Tessa picked her head up and noticed that Scott was sleeping. She nudged him awake gently and he picked his sleepy head up and off of her shoulder. Opening his eyes, their gaze met and Scott couldn't help but give Tessa a kiss on the lips. Almost like he forgot they were surrounded by people. He didn't seem to care.   
They made their way off the flight and headed over to the gate to meet their connection. They found a restaurant to sit and eat a late dinner and to waste the 2 hours between their next flight.   
After boarding and getting settled on their flight to Tokyo, Tessa found it hard to get settled into sleep. They each had a blanket that ended up overlapping one another's and Scott had found his head a home on Tessa's shoulder. She couldn't help but think about how naturally the next steps with Scott had come to light, and she agreed with him, she never wanted it to stop. Her mind raced to the possibilities with Scott. A comeback, an Olympic medal, what they would accomplish together after the Olympics, the future, marriage? Kids? For sure kids. Scott wanted kids so bad, Tessa did too but wasn't so easy to admit it. She thought of everything and would go over and repeat her favorite thoughts. Standing on the podium in Pyeongchang, chasing their kids around the yard, and first skating lessons. It all seemed too real. She readjusted her position, falling father into Scott's side, finally letting her mind slip into sleep. 

 

They both slept until they were making their descent into Tokyo when Tessa was awoken by her adrenaline. A feeling very similar to that of arriving at a competition. Good energy and vibes, Scott with her, and in a new but familiar place. She stepped off the plane with a new found confidence that Scott could feel, and he was digging it. The little extra pep in her step send his mind into a place he wasn't ready for it to go. But what could he say? He loved a confident Tessa. Thankfully, all of their bags arrived and the car that would take them to their hotel was ready and waiting. For the most part, everything was going exactly according to plan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some turmoil, but not for a reason you would really expect! Duh duh duh

Tati and Max could sense something the very first practice, but maybe it's because they were a confirmed couple so they had a sixth sense for when others were supressing their feelings. A couple times, Tati would notice Tessa giggling at something stupid Scott had said a little bit longer than she felt was necessary, and then Scott would give her the big cheesy full teeth smile back and she would blush. Tessa noticed Tati looking at her a couple times, catching each other in an awkward eye contact battle. When Tati and Max were standing with Tessa and Scott at the back of the group, whispering to one another about what was going on and then every time Max would say something to Tessa, Scott would lean in, put his hand on her back and listen to what he was saying. Little things that you would catch on to if you were paying attention, but most people weren't. At the break, Tessa and Scott skated to their water bottles and sat down on some chairs just off the ice. 

"Do you think Tati and Max have caught on?" Tessa asked hesitantly.

"Caught onto what?" Scott was too busy enjoying himself to even notice what Tati and Max were doing except for when the four of them would get together.

"Uh, erm, us I guess" she forced out with a little cough in between.

"But nothing has happened..."

"Tati saw when you had your hand on my back, and then she smirked at me" 

"Oh, well I didn't know that touching my partners back briefly meant something more" Scott snapped a little bit.

"Whatever, forget we had this chat. I just feel like she knows, that's all." Tessa snapped back as she stood up to go back to practice which was resuming. 

"Tessa" he said calmly as he grabbed her wrist and stopped her from walking away. "Don't worry okay? Everything is fine."

Tessa wrestled her wrist out of his grip and went back onto the ice without saying anything, finding Carolina and giving her a hug.

Scott knew Tessa was exhausted and he felt bad for snapping at her, but he knew that she just needed some space at this point, so he didn't chase after her right away. Instead he skated over to Tati and Max, keeping Tessa's points in the back of his head. 

"Where's Tessa?" Tati promptly asked upon Scott's arrival. 

"Over there" he simply pointed over to Carolina.

"Oh, interesting." Tati was sure that they were doing just fine 10 minutes ago, but she didn't bother to ask, she would just observe. 

Scott was a little bit confused at this point. Something about how Tati was talking made him think about Tessa's points. He wasn't sure. Maybe the two were unrelated.  
They got back into one big group and Scott skated up beside Tessa, not saying anything to her or touching her, just standing next to her with his hands stuffed in the front pocket of his hoodie.   
She felt him beside her before she even saw her. Even when she was annoyed, he had some sort of calming effect on her. She didn't want to stay frustrated with him when he didn't deserve it, and the only reason she felt this way is because she was tired and just wanted to collapse but they had another hour of practice, so she took it out on someone who could take it. After standing and listening to instruction for a minute, she gave in. Tessa wrapped her hands around his waist, and nuzzled her head in close to his neck, not really caring about anyone seeing this public display.   
Scott didn't hesitate and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her head in closer to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm exhausted" a muffled whisper came from her mouth. 

"I know. No need to apologize T" he whispered back into her hair. 

They stood like this for the 30 seconds they could before they took their starting positions. Meanwhile Tati and Max are standing, watching, whispering and grinning at Tessa and Scott. Little did they know how accurate their sixth sense was. Back when everyone was in their starting positions, the choreographer went over the steps one last time before asking everyone to run through it. They ran through the same 8 count 5 times because someone was always messing something up, and this choreographer wanted perfection and Tessa was not having it. Scott kept trying to shoot her funny faces to keep her focused and her mood up, but he tried too many times before he finally just shot her a sad look and mouthed "almost over". 

The last gruelling hour came to a close, and Tessa's feet were aching. Her feet never felt better after taking off her skates, but she couldn't help but hear the other girls talking about how costume fittings were in twenty minutes and lunch immediately followed. She just wanted to skip to the part where the day was over and she could go back to the hotel and sleep. With no such luck avoiding costume fittings, she made sure she was measured first, so she could try potential costumes first, so she could eat first, so she could get out and onto the bus first. She didn't see Scott much during that time except for when they sat together at lunch.  
He noticed she didn't eat very much, relating it to the lack of sleep she was running on. Instead of forcing her to eat something, he just packed some snacks in his backpack he figured she would look for later. She was usually one to excuse herself from the table but this time, she got up without warning, threw her plate with lots of food still on it and headed outside, and Scott started to worry.   
She found herself a spot at the very back of the bus and immediately put her extra sweater between her head and the window, shutting her eyes and finally resting, trying to let go of the frustration the morning had brought.   
Scott had hesitated following her for a minute, but when she wasn't coming back in, he followed her outside, and checked the bus. Sitting in the very back row was Tessa, finally resting. He put his backpack down on the floor in front of him and sat in the seat next to her. He put his hand on her thigh, and almost by reflex, hers met his and held it, still resting in her lap.   
Her sleep pattern didn't waver the entire ride back to the hotel. Other skaters asked Scott if she was ok, he just said they didn't get a lot of time to rest between their flight and practice. He didn't bother telling them that he knew she barely slept on the way here because she entered one of her deep thinking sessions, because they would only get more nosy, and Tessa didn't even know that Scott knew she wasn't sleeping. When they got back to the hotel, Scott gently nudged her awake in the way that a friend would nudge another friend. Too many people around to kiss her awake, even though he wanted to so bad. This tour was different from others where they could choose their roommates in whatever configuration they chose. Tessa and Scott decided during the truce that they would room together, because part of a committed relationship is seeing how you live together, and even though they would be switching hotels a few times, they wanted to try. Scott carried Tessa's skating bag up to their room and as soon as they got into the room, Tessa had fallen into her bed, so Scott had took on the responsibility of taking out her skates, making sure they were in a place where they would dry, and did the same with his promptly after. Just when he thought Tessa was sleeping, he heard her toss and turn a couple times in bed, so he looked over to see if she was still awake.   
Her eyes were still open and she had watched Scott take her skates out for her, which no one ever wanted the job of doing. Once she noticed him looking at her, a mile crept on her face.   
"Come nap with me, Scott" she said softly, lifting up the covers and shuffling over in her bed, making room for him.

"That's okay, you need to sleep, and I have my own bed" Scott was insistent she should get in a good nap, and him sharing a bed would only hinder that. He went over and sat on the side of his bed, digging in the drawer of the side table for the remote for the tv.

"You can still see the tv from over here. Please." She knew she would have a productive nap if Scott was near her so she started nagging. When he turned his head up from the remote to meet her eyes, she begged again. "Please, Scott?"

He didn't need anymore convincing. He slipped into the bed next to her and propped himself up on a couple pillows, flipping through channels on the tv as Tessa nestled into his side. Just like in one of her airplane thoughts, she fell asleep next to Scott. The real thing was way better than her imagination.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 10 already! Thank you guys for still reading. Your patience will have paid off a little in this one. Enjoy! ;)

Later that afternoon, Scott had to wake Tessa up from her nap. It was getting close to dinner and if she slept any longer, she would be up all night. He placed a kiss on top of her head that was resting on his chest.

“Hey T” the soft whisper came out of him. “Time to wake up, we have to catch the bus for dinner.”

Tessa started to wrestle around, moaning and stretching, and then bringing her hands to wipe the sleep out of her eyes. “What time is it?” she croaked out in a half yawn.

“Just after 5:30. Bus leaves at 6” Scott’s voice was raised a little more.

“Good thing it isn’t too fancy, I don’t have time to shower now” she said as she rolled over away from him to eventually stand up from the bed.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, it was lovely, and necessary.” 

“Good” Scott’s wide grin returned to his face as Tessa started digging through her suitcase for jeans and a t shirt. 

They got ready for dinner and met everyone down in the lobby to get on the bus for dinner. Tessa was starving at this point, since she hadn’t eaten much at lunch. She also wasn’t sure how she felt about the restaurant of choice for the evening, considering she wasn’t always keen on trying new foods. But when in Tokyo, you go out for a traditional meal, and that’s what the group did. Finally making it to the restaurant, Scott was determined to sit next to Tessa. This wasn’t hard for him to accomplish because Tessa wanted to sit next to him as well. So Carolina, Joannie, Tessa, Scott, Tati and Max all sat at a table together, enjoying each others company since it was rare they all saw each other in this setting. Still feeling the effects of her nap, Tessa was a little groggy, and decided to lean on Scott. They suddenly looked like they were sitting in one chair, not knowing where her chair stopped and his started. No one really seemed bothered by it but that look in Tati’s eyes said so much more than words. After they ate dinner, Tessa excused herself from the table and went to the washroom, not knowing Tati was promptly following behind her. Tessa went into the washroom and went straight to the mirror to see if her eye bags were visible, when Tati appeared behind her with that grin she had earlier in practice. 

“Oh hey, I didn’t know you needed to go to!” Tessa said enthusiastically.

“I don’t, I just wanted to talk to you, but maybe without a crowd.” 

“Oh, about what?” Tessa already knew what it was about so why did she bother asking.

“I’ve been watching you girl, and Scott, I have watched both of you” that smirk was starting to reappear on her face. 

“You have?” Tessa decided she would play dumb. “What do you see?” 

“A couple” Tati spoke, plain and simple. 

Tessa face turned bright red. She wasn’t sure how to back herself out of this one. Tati would figure out if she was lying, but she wouldn’t bee lying if she said they weren’t.  
“We aren’t a couple..”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well…we are, but we aren’t. No we aren’t.” Tessa hesitated at first and then completed her thought. 

“mhmm okay then, but you’re a couple I know it.” 

Tessa wasn’t ready to argue with her so she attempted to dismiss the conversation. “Okay, think what you want, I don’t care” Tessa said in a high pitched tone letting out a forced chuckle after, throwing her hands in the air as if she was saying she gave up and then started to walk out of the bathroom. 

“You wont get away that easy, Tessa.” Tati said as she went about her business in the washroom.

As dinner was finishing up, Tessa was thinking about her conversation with Tati in the bathroom, and figured that maybe her and Scott needed to be more careful if they weren’t ready to declare whatever was going on between them. She leaned over to Scott while they were waiting for their bill to be paid. “On our sightseeing tour, I think I’m going to sit with Carolina, is that okay?” she whispered to him.

The plan after dinner was to do some touring of Tokyo before they had to head off to bed to be ready for practice tomorrow. “Ok.. did I do something wrong?” Scott was a little concerned by her proposition.

“No, no need to worry, I’ll tell you everything later” she said as she slipped her hand under the table and gave his thigh a squeeze, which caused an immediate smile to come from Scott. 

She assumed her seat next to Carolina on the sight seeing bus and Scott sat next to Joannie, but still sitting in the seat in front of Tessa. Tati knew Tessa was trying to cover up by sitting with Carolina, but she didn't pay much attention to the situation. Carolina, Tessa, Scott and Joannie ended up chatting the whole ride about what they were seeing, so it didn't matter too much that Scott wasn't next to Tessa. He was close enough, and distance only made the heart grow fonder, even if it was inches of distance.  
When they arrived back to the hotel, some of the skaters headed to the bar for some drinks, and some headed up straight to their rooms, Tessa and Scott joining the group heading to bed. Finally making it up to their room, it was Scott's turn to collapse on his bed, followed by an exasperated sigh. Tessa watched him fall on the bed, realising she had caught up on her sleep this afternoon. 

"Maybe it's my turn to watch TV while you sleep" she said to him as she walked over to her suitcase, digging for her pj's.

"Not tired anymore?" Scott asked her as he lifted his head up from the pillow to find her in the room.

"Not really.. that's okay" she said as she shrugged and went into the bathroom to change her clothes. Even though they have changed in front of each other many times, this was different circumstances and she wasn't sure if she was comfortable yet. Scott didn't care either way, as long as she was okay with what she was doing. She decided to shower, and once she was done, she changed into pj's and came back out into the room with her wet hair, long and brushed down against her back. She noticed Scott wasn't sleeping like she thought he would be. Instead, he was in pj's as well, sitting in bed, trying to find a channel in English on TV. 

"Guess I'm not all that tired anymore" Scott said when he saw Tessa's confused look. "Do you wanna sit in my bed with me? I totally understand if you don't want to" he threw the idea out to her. 

"Yeah, I'd like that." She grabbed the extra pillow from her bed and went and sat on Scott's bed, cautiously taking the sheets and putting them over her legs. 

"I can move you if you fall asleep too, if you don't want to sleep together, that is..." more and more ideas were coming into his head, but he proceeded with caution when forcing them to the surface. 

"If you're okay with me taking up the bed, then you don't have to move me, but you can if you want."

"No, you can stay, I want you to stay."

"Then I'll stay."

Good thing Tessa said what she did because the conversation was turning borderline awkward. Scott wasn't sure what to talk about next. He had finally found an American news station, which was playing some TV drama, so he couldn't complaining about not finding anything to watch. He didn't know why it was so hard to come up with something to talk about. With Tessa it was always so easy. But a feeling he couldn't shake was making him nervous. He didn't know if it was good timing or not to do what he wanted to do, and then he remembered the conversation they had at dinner. 

"Oh!" Scott's voice jumped, scaring Tessa away from the TV and turning her attention to him. "Why did you want to sit with Carolina on the bus?"

"Oh, just Tati being her nosy self. Didn't want to stir the pot anymore."

"Did she say something to you?"

"Yeah in the bathroom, she was bothering be about you. She said she's convinced were a couple."

"What did you say?"

"I said we aren't but we are but we aren't."

"Now I know why she bothered you about it."

"It's true though, Scott. We kind of are, but we aren't. It makes sense in my head, but probably not to anyone else."

"Makes perfect sense to me. Don't let her bother you Tess, lets just do us like we said we would and she can think what she wants. Deal?"

"Deal." She said bringing a smile back to her face.

That urge Scott had before he brought up Tati was creating a lump in his throat. His heart was telling him yes yes yes, but his head was telling him to play it cool. Now it was deciding where acting on what you feel would fit in. With the head, or the heart? He thought screw it, the heart wants what it wants. He stopped hesitating, raised his hand to cup her face and brought her into a kiss. It wasn't the same as any kiss they have shared yet. The rest were short and uncertain about if they wanted to continue. But this one had passion, and there was no stopping this time.  
Tessa let herself fall into Scott, giving his hands permission to caress her torso and her legs and her face, or wherever his hands would reach. She deepened the kiss, allowing his tongue access into her mouth, turning this not so innocent kiss into a make out. Her hands were either resting on both of his cheeks or on his shoulders as she continued to let his explore her body, which he had done many times before while skating, but not in this sense.  
It was a whole new sensation for Scott. Feeling her body tremble under his touch, giving her goosebumps on every part of her skin he would graze. When he needed to pull back for air, his eyes locked with hers, immediately raising his hand to slowly move his thumb over her now swollen lips, moving back to push a piece of hair back behind her ear.  
She was bright red, but couldn't help but bite her lip when Scott had pressed their foreheads together, waiting for permission to go in again. Instead of making out longer, Tessa went in for a softer couple of kisses, easing them both out of the high they had gotten from each other. 

"Was that what you were thinking about on the plane?" Scott asked Tessa.

"How did you know I wasn't sleeping?"

"I wasn't either, and I could hear you whisper some things out loud."

"Oh. Well, not exactly this, but a few versions of it."

"Hmm, what other versions did you have in mind?" Scott asked her with a smirk.

Before she could even spit out any words, she was giggling as Scott lowered her down so she was laying on her back and he was half on top of her, waiting for the full invitation.

"This looks awfully close to one of my thoughts" Tessa said through giggles, placing a kiss on his cheek then leaving a trail down his neck, finding the sweet spot that made Scott tick. 

Scott saw this as his permission to move on top of her, only meeting her lips again with his. This was beyond testing the waters, but it was them feeling out organically what they wanted, so Scott wasn't sure where to stop. But after a few minutes, Tessa had made it clear that all she wanted was to kiss, and didn't want to go any farther, and Scott was okay with this because he wasn't sure if he was ready for more either. Eventually when his hands slowed down, he rolled himself off of Tessa, laying beside her, looking into her eyes.

"Did that happen naturally?" Tessa asked him.

"I couldn't have thought of that even if I tried, it was so much better than anything I have thought about. Was it better than your thoughts?"

"Reality seems to be taking the cake lately." Tessa said confidently, kissing his nose. 

They were lying together in silence for a few minutes before Scott let out a yawn. "I think I'm finally tired."

Tessa immediately reciprocated the yawn. "Me too. And I don't want to practice tomorrow, at least you have something to look forward to."

"I think I have something you could look forward to as well."

"And what would that be?"

"If you promise to be in a good mood at practice all week, I'll tell you a secret I haven't told anyone."

Tessa wanted to know this secret, but she was sure it had something to do with her and she didn't know if she was ready to hear it, but she played along, considering she had a week to figure it all out. If she wanted to hear what he had to say, what this whole make out session meant, if it would happen again, how many times, would Tati sense that something happened, she wasn't sure. But she had a week of a buffer between now and this secret that would hold a mini cloud over her head to sort it all out. Maybe this new act of intimacy was a one time thing, maybe it would reoccur often. She didn't know, but all she knew is that Scott was falling asleep next to her, and that felt so right, it blocked out all other doubts.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11! thanks for sticking with it everyone!

Tessa did her very best all week to be in a good mood at their practices, no matter how tired she was. She wanted this secret of Scott’s out, even though she might be hesitant to know what it actually is. She would smile and be friendly with everyone, be social, and just polar opposite to what she usually is.

Scott noticed all week she wanted to hear the secret. Being overly friendly very early in the morning was never Tessa’s thing, especially when they went over the number that forced them into switching partners. Scott was not a fan of this one. He felt like he finally just got Tessa to himself and now he had to share her. Unbelievable. But he would tell her how proud of her efforts he was at the end of every day by inviting her to sleep in his bed, giving her many kisses, and rubbing her back till she fell asleep. This unplanned make out they had at the beginning of the week turned out to serve a good purpose for both of them. This nightly occurrence turned into a stress reliever from the day if you will.

Friday morning’s practice was the last before the show opened later that evening and for the entire 2 hours they went over the first number, the last number and the number in the middle where Tessa and Scott didn’t skate together. Tessa was tired of acting so nice all the time, and the fact that she couldn’t lean on Scott as her pillow for half of the practice was pretty much torture. Now she was only 3 skaters away from Scott but that was too far and too noticeable if she were to go out of her way to get his attention so she settled for stolen glances and smiles with him through the glance of 3 others in her way. But that secret clouded over her mind, making her to be her new chipper self with her new partner.  
Scott didn’t like how happy Tessa seemed with her new partner, whether it was because she enjoyed skating with him or because she really wanted that secret, it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to see her happy with anyone else , although he had to admit he loved seeing her laugh. Break was prompted by the choreographer, and Scott was quick to skate to where his and Tessa’s water bottles had been placed on the boards. Playing it cool, taking sips of his water, Tessa skated up next to him.

“So how come I have to be super happy and you get to act grumpy?” Tessa asked him jokingly.

“I don’t like not skating with you.”

“Well same here, Scott. You think watching you with Carolina makes me feel better? You could at least pretend to be happy until practice is over. Just take notes from the pro” Tessa said as she winked at him and skated away back to her partner on the other side of the ice. 

Scott was going crazy so he diverted his stress into excitement, putting on a happy face for Carolina, completely doing a 180, picking her up and spinning around, laughing and smiling, cracking jokes, just being typical Scott. He would occasionally glace at Tessa with a huge fake smile plastered on his face almost saying “are you happy now?”

Tessa knew Scott well enough to know he was faking his over happiness, so she upped her happiness, almost turning it into a competition. Who could be happier? They fought over their victory when they were finished rehearsing this number, and now onto the closing one when they were back skating together. 

“I was happier, in case you though different” Tessa whispered to Scott as she was being held in his arms for their starting position. 

“Debateable for sure, you didn’t pick your partner up and spin him around” Scott dished back.

“Fine, but to be fair I probably couldn’t have.”

This banter went on back and forth for the rest of their practice, still debating who was happier. There was never a conclusion drawn, but it was all fuelled by competition and a little bit of jealousy on each end. Practice ended and all of the skaters were going to hang out at the rink for the afternoon until they had to get ready for the show that night. They did last minute costume fixes, went over choreography, ate lunch, and just enjoyed each others company before they were called into their dressing rooms. Tessa and Scott were attached at the hip all afternoon that parting to their separate dressing rooms seemed like the end of the world. Now with the feelings Scott had, begging to be let out, he couldn’t jut watch Tessa walk away without any sort of see you later. He made her hang back until everyone was far enough ahead and in their rooms before he pulled her down an empty hallway. 

“Just to get me through for a while” Scott said as he pulled her in for a kiss. 

“I’m sure you’ll last an hour without seeing me” Tessa said back, reciprocating the kiss, winking at him and walking to her dressing room. “Just think about something else, Moir. Shouldn’t be too hard” she said with a huge teasing grin as she was walking away.

Think about something else? Was she nuts? He hasn’t thought of anything but skating and her for the last 17 years, well give or take a few thoughts and times. But even with other potential suitors and girlfriends, she always dominated his mind. With her words pounding in his head, his mind couldn’t help but go to the place he eventually wanted to get with Tessa. The rougher, passionate, explicit side of his thoughts that it has only ever gone to a few times before. Thoughts that plagued him at the times where he would be taking off his sweats to put his costume pants on would be something about how he would love to take Tessa’s sweats off an so on. Little thoughts like that, driving him crazy, but he tried to push them out. He couldn’t. He was ready, but they have been on tour for a week. 

Finally it was almost time for the show and all the skaters were starting to file into the green room until they were called onto the ice. Scott spotted Tessa immediately, sitting on a couch as he walked in. He tapped her shoulder and her ponytail swung at his touch, with his gaze meeting hers. She got up from her seat and followed him to just outside the room, where they could commence their preskate hug. No one questioned, it was just a Tessa and Scott thing to do. Once they finished hugging, Scott grabbed Tessa’s hands, pulling her closer and kissing her cheek.

“You look beautiful” he said.

She was blushing, again. It was so easy to make her blush when he so innocently said things like that.  "Thanks Scott." She looked around to see if anyone was looking and when she thought the coast was clear she gave him a quick peck and went back into the green room. They stood together waiting to go out onto the ice to do the show, when Tessa noticed Tati beaming at her and talking to Max in Russian. She didn't think much other than that she was happy the show was starting but she didn't know that Tati had saw them kiss. 

The show was over and everyone was excited to go to the opening night party that was happening at a local club down the street from their hotel. With enough time to nurse a hangover until their next show the following evening, it would be a night everyone was looking forward to. Once everyone was changed and on the bus from the venue to the club, Scott leaned over to Tessa in his seat.

"Were going to dance together, right?"

"Of course, just be careful with some of your moves" she said with some hesitation. 

He had dismissed her last remark and continued to mingle with everyone on the bus, everyone's excitement level building until they reached the club. Finally a night to relax and have a few drinks with some awesome people. Everyone was having a blast and both Tessa and Scott were going drink for drink until they got to 5 and Tessa was starting to feel her feet get lighter and she backed off. Scott kept going, trying to keep up with all the other boys. Tati had made her way over to the group Tessa and Scott were standing with and pulled Tessa aside.

"I know what I saw this time" Tati yelled over the loud music into Tessa's ear. 

"OK, wh-what did you see this time, Tati?" Tessa was trying to keep her speech coherent.

"A kiss! There was a kiss"

"Yes, there was a kiss, what do you want?" Tessa was done trying to fight off Tati. Tessa had a feeling she saw what happened.

"Together?"

"Sure?"

Tati's squeal of excitement was heard by ore than just Tessa and many looked, but resumed their conversations.

"Okay relax, Tati. Just don't go running your mouth, okay? I'm not ready for that yet" Tessa got a little cross just to let Tati know she was serious.

"I wont, I promise!" Tati swore on her word with a handshake. 

Before Tessa could turn back to her group, Scott had stepped in and whisked her off to the dance floor. "You promised a dance, T. Now is the time!" Scott said, mumbling over his words, but still clear enough Tessa could understand.

Entering a fit of laughter, Tessa had forgotten about her conversation with Tati, and started to dance with Scott. Upbeat music forced their bodies to grind with one another but no one seemed to be bothered because they were all dancing with each other, just enjoying themselves. They all seemed to be following the same procedure of drink for drink so most of them were 8 drinks in. The forecast for tomorrow's show looking cloudy with a chance of showers (of who knows what).

Tessa and Scott had their dance and noticed everyone else was dancing, so they met up with different groups on the dance floor to create one big dance group, showing up other people in the bar with real dance moves. It was getting closer to 2am when the club was getting ready to power down for the night when Tessa had already made it clear to Scott that she wanted to start walking back. He easily complied, considering he was drunk and couldn't comprehend what was going on at the club anymore. When they got outside and were walking arm in arm, Tessa piped up to finally get an answer out of Scott.

"So, what's the secret? I have been very nice all week."

"I know you have, I've been very proud of you" he said as he leaned over to give her a kiss.

She reciprocated the kiss as they kept walking. "Don't steer away from the point. What's your secret, Scott?"

"Fine, just c-cause, you're soooooososoooo pretty I will tell you." Scott's drunken self was all about diverting from the question he had been asked. He was getting harder and harder to understand the more steps he took. Good thing they were almost at the hotel. 

"Scott!" Tessa started laughing again, trying to get him back on track. 

"I have a lot of thoughts about sex with you. That's my secret. Are ya happy? Scott was blunt, no hesitation.

Tessa on the other hand wanted to retreat. She couldn't decide if she wanted to admit she had some of those too, or if she was ready to admit it. She didn't know if she was ready to accept Scott's secret. "You're drunk, I get it." Tessa said coldly, not wanting to believe him.

"Tess, this is serious. I think about it all the time" Scott said, trying to meet his gaze with hers.

She knew he was looking at her, but her job was to keep them on the right street to get to the hotel, considering Scott isn't good with directions, nevermind the fact he is drunk. "Tell me again when you sober up. I just wanna make sure this isn't a drunk thought." She knew it wasn't a drunk thought, she felt them too. She wanted to, she just wanted to be sure she was ready.

"It's not a drunk thought, it was a very sober thought when I was thinking about taking off your pants earlier" Scott continued to admit. 

"Oh, okay well still, you can tell me more when you are sober" Tessa said, not knowing what to make of this new found information. She didn't know if her judgement was clouded by her own intoxication and that's why she was turning slightly mean. 

When they arrived back the hotel, Tessa collapsed in her bed after she had changed into her pj's. Scott had taken off his pants and his shirt, forgetting about the truce and how he would have to wear clothes if him and Tessa were going to share a bed. He didn't even think about it and flopped down onto his side in her bed.

"Scott, where are your pyjama's?

"I'm too drunk to find them, please forgive me?" Scott pleaded, hoping Tessa would give him a break.

"I hope you don't get too cold when I steal all of the blanket then" Tessa gave in. She rolled over as she allowed Scott to press a few sloppy kisses to her ears and the back of her neck once he had made it into a spooning position. She didn't really care If he wasn't wearing clothes, but she wasn't going to make it easy for him that night, forcing him to stick tight with the truce. If she would force him to follow the truce, that means she would have to do the same, but that meant forgetting the fact that Scott's bare chest is pressed against her back keeping her warm, and that she wonders how easy it would be to get his boxers off. Sleep was instantaneous for Scott but for Tessa, not so much. 

Tessa was once again super conflicted. Break the truce and give her heart a break by letting him take over, or let in the logical side of the situation strictly following the truce. Only one was organic feelings that they agreed on, and it did not seem like the right choice.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a sap warning. Enjoy it all!

Tessa woke up the next morning and her head was pounding. Amazing how five drinks could do that to you after not drinking for a while. She picked her heavy feet up from the bed and went over to the little coffee maker that was in their room, turned it on and waited for it to pour. She occasionally glanced over at Scott, who was now sprawled across the bed, claiming the territory. He wasn't going to be waking up any time soon, so when her coffee had poured, she had taken a position in the other bed that hadn't been touched for the duration of the tour so far. She made a note to herself to change their room to a one king bed room at the next hotel. Why waste a bed, right? She found the remote and turned the tv on with the volume barely up, not wanting to wake Scott. Although she was curious about if he remembered what he said the night before, she was willing to let him sleep considering she needed a partner for the show later. In the two hours that Tessa was awake and Scott wasn't, she made her way down to find breakfast, showered, put makeup and clothes on and was now just waiting in front of the tv again for Scott to grace the world with his presence.  
It's 12:30 in the afternoon and the bus leaves at 2 for the arena and Scott was just waking up. He didn't really realize how lucky he was to have Tessa staying with him because when she saw him starting to stir, she made him a cup of coffee, got him a glass of water and a couple aspirin and put them on the bedside table. When he rolled over and saw the items but no Tessa close by, he perked up quick, causing his head to throb.

"Good morning" Tessa's sweet voice came from the bed on the other side of the room. "Take the aspirin right away, kill your headache" she prompted him.

He didn't even get a chance to respond to Tessa's soothing voice before he was chugging the water and popping pills. His hangover was bad, and he knew he was in for a long day. "How late were we out?" His voice was hoarse, almost as if he had lost it. 

"We got back at about 2:30, you don't remember?"

"Not really."

"Do you remember anything?" Tessa had started to quiz him.

"I remember I went drink for drink with Max till he out drank me, then I remember we danced and that's about it." Scott said, truly with no recollection of his secret sharing with Tessa. 

"Oh alright then, drink the coffee, you'll feel better soon." Tessa said, trying to forget the major details of last night that Scott had apparently already forgotten. 

"Come lay over here, Tess. You're too far away from me" Scott said as he slowly rolled over to finally find the voice in the room he was conversing with.

With last nights thoughts already dismissed from her head, she willingly got up and scooted into the other bed next to Scott, staying sitting up next to him. 

And with little control of his hungover mind, Scott picked his head up and put it in Tessa's lap, still keeping himself lying down. He didn't say anything and neither did Tessa, he just felt her fingers run through his hair, and the odd time her nails would scrape his scalp. They sat like this until the drugs kicked in and Scott was starting to feel more like himself. He picked his head up from her lap and slowly started to sit up. 

"I should probably take a shower. I looked like death warmed over" Scott stated as he headed to the shower. "When do we have to leave?"

"Just before 2. You don't have much time so chop chop" she said to him cracking a smile, trying to get him back to his normal self.

He carried himself to the bathroom, ran the shower, and tried to get the hot water help him revive any thought from the night before. With little luck on his side, he didn't think of much else that he had said or done, so he gave up thinking because it was starting to hurt his head and finished his shower. Still not thinking clearly, Scott had came out of the bathroom only wearing a towel.  
Tessa had realized Scott was really hungover when he came out of the bathroom only wearing a towel. She didn't notice at first because she was busy packing up a bag to take with her for the day at the rink, but he had to walk right past her to get to his suitcase. She tried not to look and focus on her task, but she did steal a few glances and may have thought about what was underneath. Crap, she let his words back into her head again.  
Scott continued digging through his suitcase to find clothes that would suffice until he had to change into his costume so his sweatpants, a tshirt and a hoodie were good enough and true to traditional Scott fashion. As he was putting his clothes on he realized he was getting changed in front of Tessa.

"Shit, the truce. I'm so sorry Tessa."

"It's fine, I'm not looking, just get dressed." She was looking, more than she wanted to admit but she was definitely looking. 

"I'm so sorry, I'm so hungover I can't think straight" he felt really bad. He did everything he could to stick to the truce and this was for sure a line crossed.

"Scott, it's okay, just hurry up okay? We have to be downstairs soon."

Scott was finally dressed when he turned around to look at Tessa sitting for him on the edge of one of the beds, obviously waiting for him to be ready. "Tess, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine, just waiting for you to get your butt in gear" Tessa responded with not a lot of emotion.

Scott wasn't convinced, but he figured now wasn't the time so he went along with her lie and picked up the pace until he was ready and they were headed out the door.  
The bus ride was quiet all around. Everyone was feeling the effects of last night and this could've been predicted. They had five hours to be ready to perform, including some individual practice time, but it meant a nap for most of them.  
After Tessa and Scott's 45 minute session on the ice, Tessa was quick to get her skates off and went to find a room she could claim as her own to nap in. She pulled a blanket and an extra hoodie out of the bag she had packed earlier, put in her headphones and found a semi comfortable positon to sleep in.  
Scott was confused as to why Tessa was avoiding him after practice. She had rushed off the ice so quickly, he didn't even get a chance to debrief with her. After he got his skates off, he asked the few people who were up and awake if they knew where Tessa was. They pointed him to an empty dressing room down the hallway she had set herself up in. When he walked in, he saw her tucked into a corner of the room, napping with her headphones still in, and could hear the faint sound of her music coming through the headphones. He was a rock in a hard place. He didn't want to wake her up, but he wasn't content with the idea that she had gone to sleep upset. So he took his chances, pressed a kiss to her forehead, removing an earbud and whispering her name into her ear. 

"Wh-what? Is it time to get ready for the show?" Tessa shot up, dazed and confused.

"Not quite, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seem off..." Scott expressed his concern to Tessa.

Tessa didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell if she was shaken by his words last night or pissed he woke her up. Either way, she didn't want to be mad at him much longer, it was the most exhausting thing to do. "Okay well first of all if were going to make this work, you should know by now not to wake me up from a nap unless I'm about to miss something important."

"You're right, I should have known, and for that I am sorry. But it bothered me you fell asleep upset so I couldn't resist." Scott said, finally taking a seat next to her. "Tell me what's going on, Tessa. I'm gonna pull the truce card and say that you owe me honesty for leaving me in the dark for most of today." 

"I know...." Tessa paused for a second. "Do you seriously not remember anything you said or did last night?"

"Other than what I have already told you, no not really. Why? Did something come up?" Scott's voice grew concerned. 

"Well you told me your secret...and that's fine! But I just want to hear it sober, that's all."

"You want to hear my sober secrets? I already tell you all of my secrets, it's the whole honesty thing." Scott moved from concerned to confused.

"How often do you think about us sexually?" she asked with no hesitation.

"Oh. I told you my big secret..."

"Yep."

"Well, if I'm being honest, I think about it often. Like at least everyday." He didn't hesitate. She wanted honesty and that's what he gave her.

"Everyday.... wow. Okay. I guess if that is what you think then that is up to you." Tessa said matter of factly. Not a lot of effort were going into her responses, mostly because she couldn't stop thinking. 

"Is that why you're upset? Because of the secret?"

"it's not that I'm upset. I'm just conflicted. I'm sorry if I seemed upset." 

"You know what I like about us, Tess? The fact that we can openly communicate this sort of stuff. So next time, no matter what time it is, just tell me, okay?"

"I know, I like it a lot too. I was just scared that it was only a drunk thought. And that I don't know what to do, so I figured I would give myself time."

"It wasn't just a drunk thought" Scott reassured her. "Why are you conflicted?" he inquired.

"I'm afraid we're going to break the truce prematurely."

"Why do you say that? I can handle my emotions."

"I don't know if I can..." Tessa admitted.

"What?"

"I think about it too, you know. I think about it a lot. Like the whole towel thing this morning. That sent my mind places. But we have this truce for a reason. We made it so no dumb spur of the moment decisions like this would be compromised."

"But we did say that we were going to feel everything out naturally and not force ourselves into any thoughts or conclusions" Scott reminded her.

He was right. He got her and now she doesn't know what to do, or think. She knows what she wants. "Are we breaking the truce if it were to happen naturally?"

"If you don't over think it first, or plan it out exactly how you want it to go, then no, I don't think so. It seems to be within truce guidelines." Scott was thinking over the guidelines out loud, trying to make sense of this interesting place they found themselves. Scott had always thought that this stage of their relationship would come more naturally and they wouldn't have to talk about it. They would just feel that the other was ready and it would just happen. But that in itself broke the truce, because he had thought about how it would happen. 

"New addition to the truce. Don't think about sex anymore. Don't talk about sex anymore. It'll happen when it happens, we both will know." Tessa concluded the conversation.

"Deal. Do you feel better now?" 

"Much. Thank you, Scott. You are so patient with me I don't deserve it."

"You are worth all of my time, I could wait forever for you." Scott became poetic so Tessa gave in and kissed him. With the privacy of the room, they were free to kiss as many times as they want and as long as they wanted.

Tessa pulled away from their kissing session. "Can I sleep now? I'm not upset anymore."

"Yes of course you can. Do you want me to go and give you some space? I can come get you when it's time to get ready."

"No, I want you to stay, if you want to. I could use a better pillow than my hoodie" Tessa suggested.

She snuggled her way in between Scott's legs, finding comfort in his embrace and her new found pillow on his chest between his arms. As she put her headphones back in and hit shuffle, the first song that came on was Into the Mystic, bringing her back to the time when her and Scott choreographed the number in his kitchen. A memory she was very fond of and would remember so she could mention it to their kids one day. 

 

 

As the show concluded that night, and everyone was getting ready for bed to continue on with the tour, Tessa couldn't get the image of a future with Scott out of her head. Standing on the Olympic podium for the third time in their career, taking in the moments of the end of their competitive skating. Followed by many shows after, keeping them together with skating as their common bond which would eventually lead to a fairy tale wedding that was nice and quaint held in Ilderton, to watching their kids run into their bedroom and jump on the bed as Tessa continued to kiss her husband good morning. They were all far off thoughts, and the truce included no thinking, but all Tessa did was think. She had been breaking the truce the entire time, thinking about her very bright future with Scott. She settled into bed, next to the man in all of her dreams, wondering how she ended up with someone this special 17 odd years ago. Time really flew by, but she was ready for more time with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy oh boy. Will Scott find out Tessa has been breaking the truce? Sooner or later???? Who knows...


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "With that being said, I'm not opposed to testing out the relationship water during our "competitive" tour. That way both of us can gain a better understand about what it would be really like. But at the same time, I want you to know I am not going to force any of my feelings. Whatever I say or do or feel is going to be spur of the moment what I am feeling, and there won't be any pressure behind it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So today while I was thinking about how to move on with this series, I realized that I have mentioned the truce a bunch of times, but I haven't gone into much detail about what the truce fully entails. So flash right on back to when Tessa and Scott went for ice cream and they decided that they wanted to make a truce. So here it is, everything the truce entails.

"I think we should go on tour as Tessa and Scott the skaters who have been partners for 17 years and nothing more. Let's treat it like a competitive season-"

"Oh well-" Scott wanted to give his two cents. 

"Just wait." She respectfully cut off his thought. "With that being said, I'm not opposed to testing out the relationship water during our "competitive" tour. That way both of us can gain a better understand about what it would be really like. But at the same time, I want you to know I am not going to force any of my feelings. Whatever I say or do or feel is going to be spur of the moment what I am feeling, and there won't be any pressure behind it."

This news was music to his ears. He was thrilled at the chance to explore this new chapter with Tessa and was nervous because he didn't know if he would be able to control himself with this new idea in his head. He brought his excitement level back down, trying not to show too much emotion.

"That is a good solution" he said, inevitably cracking a smile. "I will do the same. I'll let my feelings feel whatever they want, not that I don't know what they want already, but yeah, no pressure is good. Let's enjoy it."

"So what are the guidelines to this truce?" Tessa said pulling out her phone and opening the notes app. 

"Oh were going to write it down?" Scott would talk as he took spoonful's of ice cream. 

"Well yeah, that way we can go back to it when we need to" Tessa told him as she started typing the title to her note.

"Okay then, first were not allowed to think about each other."

"Scott, that's going to be impossible" Tessa gave him the 'are you serious' look.

"Got ya!" Scott says as he jokingly laughed. "I think it should start with no thinking about the future, just what is happening in front of us."

"No talk or thought about future Tessa and Scott" Tessa said as she typed into her phone. "Got it."

"What are we going to do about the room situation? We did choose to stay together" Scott asked. 

"Oh yeah, I don't know? Should we share a bed? Is that breaking the truce already? Thinking about the future as in a week from now?" Tessa pondered her own guidelines.

"Not that kind of future, like after we choose to come back future. This isn't really the whole future" Scott pointed out.

"Well I think we should share a bed, only because if were testing the relationship idea, we have to know if we can live together to it's fullest capacity."

"Oh, good one. That's a good point, let's do it."

"Share a bed" she said aloud again as she typed it in.

"Sleep in clothes, don't cross those boundaries" Scott brought forward.

"For sure, sleep in clothes" she always repeated as she typed. "What else do you think?"

"Kind of along the same lines, no sex. At least not now. Not until were back."

"True, too weird." Tessa wrote down no sex, no matter what.

"I don't know about you but I want it to be a little bit special our first time..." Scott said shyly.

"I agree" she gave him a smile and redirected the conversation quickly. "What else? Wait. I have an important one."

Scott braced as he was anticipating Tessa's idea. "What?"

"No disclosing this to anyone on the tour, no matter how much they ask."

"No disclosing what? The truce? Our relationship test?" there were a lot of things being discussed, Scott wanted to be sure. 

"All of it, which means no PDA" she shot him a look, knowing he loved to steal looks and touches from her whenever he could.

"No PDA? Not at all? That will be utterly impossible" Scott concluded. 

"No PDA. No disclosure of the truce. No relationship talk with anyone" she said as she typed them all.

"Honesty is the best policy" Scott said, hinting at Tessa.

"Always tell the truth, no matter how bad" she repeated again.

"Have fun with it. Take our time. Enjoy each other's company, talk everything out. Just be us naturally, let fate decide." Scott said with a satisfied smile.

"How very poetic of you. I like that." Tessa concluded as she wrote them all down.

"I think that's enough. Otherwise well end up not being able to do anything. Wait, what about kissing?" Scott inquired, hoping this wasn't off limits.

"I won't write it down, but I'm not going to encourage it until I'm ready. Fair?"

"Totally." Scott was just happy it wasn't completely out of the question. 

"Okay, now that's enough." Tessa concluded, saving the note, and putting her phone away. 

"Okay then, that was easy" Scott said sticking out his hand to commence their handshake. "It is what it is, let fate do it's thing" Scott said with a grin.

They concluded the handshake and they mutually decided to head back towards Tessa's place when they were satisfied with the conversation. Leave it up to fate to force soulmates into realizing there is no one else for them. But if a truce was needed to help the job, so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SAP SAP SAP. As campgold said, Scott is Mr. Romantic and Tessa responds by letting loose and telling him how she really feels... things are moving quicker in this crazy story but not without a hitch or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.instagram.com/p/548HDplVI5/?taken-by=tessavirtue17 this is the inspo right here.

The rest of the shows in Japan went by quick and went off without a hitch. Tessa and Scott had taken these 2 weeks to really just enjoy each others company, just like they had always done. The only thing is Tessa couldn't shut off her mind.  
Neither could Scott.  
When touching down in Beijing for the third week of their 5 week excursion abroad, Scott was contemplating ways he could finally win Tessa over, forcing her to surrender into his love. Scott knew that Tessa secretly loved when he was extra romantic. Something like last night after they had packed up their things and Scott ordered champagne to their room, poured them each a glass, told her about how much he loved spending time with her and they watched movies in their pajamas's and stayed up talking till 3 am about anything and everything. That kind of Scott was the Scott Tessa loved the most. So now, it was a competition within himself to out romance his last idea, wooing Tessa so she could finally fall for him. When in Beijing, you must do the great wall, so that was his plan. Find a time to take Tessa on his own to see this great monument. After all, she couldn't run far, it is a pathway with walls on either side.   
Tessa had noticed in the van on the way to the hotel that Scott seemed like he was off in space. He was almost blankly staring out the window, longing for the universe to make more sense to him. Pulling him out of his trance, she gave him a light nudge on the arm.

"You good?" She spoke softly.

"Yeah, really good" he responded with certainty and a huge smile. He was so good he wanted to tell her how good. But that damn truce. Did she know he had been breaking it the whole time? What was the point in it anymore? It was obvious to him that their relationship has grown since they created it almost three weeks ago. It only took 3 weeks for them to figure it all out. Well, 3 weeks and 17 years. 

They made it to the hotel, checking into their newly changed room, one kind bed suite. They took their bags up, claiming a side of the room which corresponded with their own sides of the bed. It was such a natural routine they didn't have to think about anymore. 

"Are you tired?" Scott piped up, becoming impatient with his romantic getaway.

"No... why?" Tessa asked a little confused. 

"Do you want to go do some sight seeing for the rest of the day instead of sitting around?"

"Yeah, sure! Aren't we doing some sightseeing with the cast tomorrow, though?" Tessa pondered.

"Well yes, but I kind of wanted to do some of it alone, if that's okay with you." Scott suggested.

"Sounds perfect, where should we go?"

"We could tackle that big wall everyone talks about?" Scott joked.

Tessa let out a giggle at his joke "okay, let me get changed and then well go."

They got changed and ready for their afternoon out. It was easy to find a bus that took them there, they just followed the rest of the tourists, even asking some on the way which bus to take. When they finally made it to the wall a little while later, they began to walk. Scott was hesitant to hold Tessa's hand, so he didn't. He figured he would gauge the conversation he was about to bring up before he decided if it was okay or not. They walked in silence for the first few minutes, taking in this amazing sight, even though it had started to rain, before Scott finally cracked. 

"We should get someone to take our picture!" Scott told Tessa although that isn't what he was thinking.

"Yes we should!" She bought into the idea then stopped a stranger and asked them to take their picture. 

They both looked at the picture and agreed it was good which prompted the conversation about how China had won the bid for the 2022 Olympics, setting up the conversation perfectly for Scott.  
"I don't really know how else to say this, so I'll just ask. But have you been completely honest with me?" Scott brought up.

"Uh, yes... why would you think otherwise?" Tessa asked out of confusion.

"That isn't how I meant for that to sound. I meant I haven't been honest with you."

"What?" still confused, but now shocked at his revelation.

"I broke the truce, Tessa. I break it every minute of everyday. I am not even sure why we still follow it" he admitted. 

Tessa wasn't ready to admit that easily that she does the same thing. "Oh, okay, well how have you broken it?" she prompted him to spill more. 

"Well first of all, the whole sexual thoughts think is actually starting to drive me crazy" Scott said nervously and continued walking, hoping she would get the message to follow.

She didn't say anything, but she kept up to his quicker walking pace.

"And I can't help myself but think about you, and us all of the time. It takes over my mind every minute of every day. Tessa, I think I am actually going crazy. I'm so crazy about you." Now he was just rambling, but he was hoping to get his point across. He looked back at her, she was a step behind but still listening to everything he was saying.

She couldn't help but feel herself cracking from the inside out. He was breaking down her walls, and in the best way possible. She didn't know what to think, so she just uttered the first thing that was on her mind. "I break it too. I never followed it."

Scott looked back at her, stopping and moving over to lean on the wall. The conversation just got to the point where they couldn't walk and talk anymore. "Oh, you have never followed it?" Scott questioned with a smug look but a smile creeping.

"Well, I can't say I have never followed it" Tessa lead her thought as she met him, leaning against the wall. "I follow every part pretty well I think, except for the whole thinking part" she continued. 

"Well, I sort of had a feeling, Tess. You think all the time." Scott confronted her, finally taking her hands in his. 

She allowed him to take her hands. It finally felt right, and like it didn't need to be hidden anymore. It was natural, like it was meant to happen a long time ago. "Yeah, I think about us all the time."

It was starting to pour, which made it hard for them to focus on their conversation, and Scott unwillingly had to change the subject. "I hate to do this, but can we continue this when we get back? This is too distracting" he said flailing his arms at the rain, almost cursing the sky for ruining this perfect moment. 

"Yeah!" Tessa was engulfed in a full belly laugh, completely and utterly captivating Scott into one of his romantic thoughts. 

He pulled her in for a kiss, right then and there. In the middle of a torrential downpour, like the scene from The Notebook. He couldn't help his romantic feelings, they did what they wanted. 

She was hoping so bad he would pull her into a kiss, and when he finally did, she melted right into him, letting the rain completely soak them both, not caring one bit about how she looked. They took their time with this kiss, taking in the different feeling this one had from the rest. Tessa didn't seem so shy this time, and Scott? Well he was just feeling it. This was finally the moment Tessa was looking for to convince her to say it all. She saw the fireworks beneath her closed eyes, and the popping and flaming sounds were so loud in her head she wanted to scream it from the mountain tops. But she didn't. She let the kiss run it's course, and let Scott lead her back to the bus they would take to get to their hotel.  
Back at the hotel, both were drenched, but completely smitten. Tessa had gone over to her suitcase and started taking off her wet clothes. She saw Scott give her a look almost like he was saying "what are you doing?" but she just smirked back. " "What? It's not like we followed that stupid truce anyways" she said to him standing there in her bra and underwear. "And I can guarantee you are breaking it right now" she implied with a wink. 

Scott ran his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yup, this is me slipping into madness" he mumbled to himself as he started to take off his wet clothes and replace them with dry ones. "Well, now that we said fuck it to the truce, what do we do?" Scott asked.

As Scott was changing into dry clothes, Tessa had gotten the message and found herself some dry clothes as well. "Delete it, give in, be together,plan a life? I don't know, I guess I didn't think about this part..." Tessa said while considering all the options.

Scott contemplated in silence, plopping down on the bed. Tessa had joined him and sat down on her side next to him. They both sat there, exchanging glances but not touches, trying to read each others minds, but failing. Finally Scott reached his hand out and rested it on Tessa's thigh just where her shorts ended. She glanced up at him and smiled, finally a thought entering her mind. 

"That kiss was something else... romantic Moir is my favorite you know. Have you watched The Notebook or something." she said cautiously. 

Scott almost jumped up with excitement. "I knew it! I knew my romantic charm got you!" he cheered like a kid on Christmas morning, which sent Tessa into a laughing fit again. "And maybe a few times..."

Tessa was still giggling, she was smitten. "You have a lot of work to do, you know? Tessa pointed out. 

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this romance thing can't just be a one time thing. You have a lot more years to impress me" Tessa sighed in relief. She finally gave in. She was Scott's, and only his. She finally broke that last wall down and there was no rebuilding it. Scott had done an amazing job on selling a life with him to her. 

"Really?" Scott was letting his excitement build again.

"Here I am, professing my feelings. I am all yours, Scott" she admitted, shrugging her shoulders, letting whatever came to her mind slip out. 

He pulled her into the tightest embrace, nuzzling into his favorite spot in her neck. He never wanted to let her go. Breathing in her scent, falling father into her, it felt like this hug could last a lifetime.  
She fell right back into him with every touch of his lips against the skin on her neck and shoulders. She knew he would never let her go, and she didn't want him to. This was it for her. This was right. It had been right all along. They eventually fell into a laying position in the bed, still wrapped up in each others embrace, not wanting to let the moment pass without really taking it in. 

"I'm all yours" he whispered into her ear following up with a few light kisses, remaining in their embrace, not wanting it to waver. Part of romantic Scott was perfectly timing little things like this. And right now, he was nailing it.

He could feel her smile. Her cheeks bigger against the side of his face, which immediately transferred to his. His smile growing bigger and bigger. Nothing in particular possessed them to pull away from each other, it was almost an unspoken thought. But they did, and the grins that took over each of their faces were still there. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Laying in silence, taking in every facial feature of each other causing Tessa to trace his jawline with her thumb, and moving it down to his lips. He closed in on her thumb, inviting her in for more kisses, which she gratefully accepted. The look each of them had in their eyes was pure love and affection. 

"Now I don't have to kiss you like every time could be the last" Scott let out softly with his forehead against hers. 

"I love you, Scott. I can't hide that anymore." Tessa said it so simply, almost slipping it under the radar. 

"I take that back. You deserve to be kissed like every time could be the last" he retracted his statement, pulling her into another kiss, each one lasting longer than the one before. 

The night consisted of little conversations between kisses and slightly shifting positions on the bed. Not once did either of their minds lead to sex up until Scott decided to speak up, provoking Tessa's thoughtful mind. 

"So can I sleep with my shirt off now? It is really uncomfortable..."

"If I can sleep with no pants on. That is way more uncomfortable" Tessa asked back. 

"Deal" Scott sealed it by taking on his shirt and laying back down on the bed.

Tessa followed in his footsteps by taking off her pants, Scott smirking but quickly wiping it away before Tessa could see. She got back into bed and sat up against a few pillows still next to Scott as he allowed her hand to dance against his bare chest. "One more thing we haven't discussed yet... well we have, just not recently."

"Hmm" hummed, taking his gaze away from her hand and moving it up to her eyes.

"Sex... what do we want to do? There's no truce anymore..." she asked shyly.

"I think that should stay the same. We will know when it feels right. Could be today, could be a month from now. Let it happen, you know?" Scott said calmly, bringing a sense of calm through Tessa as well. 

"Yeah.." she said as she moved down to lay on his chest. 

They both let out a heavy sigh simultaneously, smiles creeping on their faces, but something wasn't sitting right with either of them, but everything was so good right now, they didn't want to risk it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> duh duh duhhhhhh! Sexual tension


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sexual tension finally gets resolved. I hope this is what you were looking for. Also I'm not a smut writer, you can write it for yourselves in your heads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, please leave feedback as this series is coming to a close soon!

The final show of the tour was tonight and Tessa couldn't be happier. Exhausted from the physical demands of a tour, exhausted from the emotional toll this tour has taken on her, she was ready to go home. Although she had some things to work out with Scott still, she was excited to get home and start a normal training schedule again. The two of them decided that they would compete again so after the labor day weekend, their vigorous training schedule would be implemented and then just like that they are back in the grind. They would start their off ice training until after Christmas and have some of their own on ice sessions while they were still in London.They haven't announced a comeback yet, considering it was too late to start for this season, but Marie France and Patrice would guide them with some of their skating before Christmas and the big move to Montreal considering the next couple months were all about Tessa an Scott focusing on just feeling the ice again. They were both excited about their skating arrangements for the next few months and missed skating competitively so much, they were looking forward to a new start. Lifting some of the stress off of Tessa having skating sorted out, there was one thing she still wanted to know before they landed back in Canada.  
Hanging out in the arena for the afternoon before their final show, they were pre signing photos of themselves that would be handed out at the show, when Tessa couldn't help but bring up her thought. 

"I've been thinking..." she started.

"When do you not think?" Scott's smart ass comment kicked in, continuing to sign photo after photo.

"What do we do when we get back? We've been so wrapped up in this tour that we haven't even thought about being back home."

"What do you mean? Just ask the question, T" Scott insisted, both still signing away.

"Should we start living together?" she blurted out.

"I wouldn't mind getting out of my parents guest house every once in a while... and then when it's time to move, we can looking into something big enough for both of us" Scott chimed in. 

"Okay good, cause my next question was going to be asking you to move in. My house is too big for just me anyways." Tessa said, sure of herself, still forcefully signing the photo's.

Scott put his pen down and turned to face Tessa, trying to focus all of her energy into her signature. "Hey" he pulled her attention away by taking the pen and setting it down, taking her hand in his after. "I-"   
She met his gaze, cutting off his thought, seeing the smile creep on his face and the thoughts that crossed his mind. "Move in with me, Scott."

"Okay." His answer was simple and sealed with a kiss. He didn't need any convincing, he had been living with Tessa for the last month and it had been the best month of his life. The late night conversations, movie cuddles, snuggling into her when it was time to sleep, waking up to her sleepy gaze in the morning. It was everything he dreamt of but better. It was interesting to Scott how quickly the roles had reversed between Tessa and him. At one point, he was fighting for her to share her feelings, but now she couldn't stop from sharing. She said I love you first, she asked him to move in. Scott gave her a new found confidence, and he loved it. 

"What should we tell our parents? If I am gonna move all of my stuff out of their place and into yours, they are going to ask" Scott concluded.

"Just say that we were thinking about moving in together in Montreal to save a little on living cost's and we wanted to try it out, so I let you have my spare bedroom.." Tessa answered as she shrugged her shoulders.

"So we aren't telling them yet?"

"Maybe not yet, we haven't even told them were going to skate again, we should probably do that first."

"You're right. Okay, good plan." Scott finished.

Conversations were so much easier than before they had started dating. A new level of mutual respect and understanding was there that they needed to uncover, and once they did, there was no stopping it. They finished signing the photo's, took them to an organizer, and went to join the cast for dinner before it was time to get ready for closing show. The show was full of energy, had an amazing crowd, and couldn't have been better for a last show of a tour. All of the cast members were off the ice, getting ready for their closing night party at the hotel bar that had been shut down early just for the 20 skaters, giving them all time to see each other one last time before they went back to their countries.  
Max tried to get Scott to go drink for drink with him again, but after remembering the morning after he did it last time, he gave Max a hard pass, telling him to ask someone else. It was also easy to say no because Tessa had advised him earlier in the evening that it probably was not the best idea to be hungover for a 13 hour direct flight to Toronto as their layover before heading back to London. Tessa had convinced Scott that he should stick to drinking wine with her instead of going right for the hard liquor. They mingled and danced with all the other skaters, but ended up sticking together for the most part. When they both had an empty glass, Scott would lead Tessa over to the far side of the bar, away from the dance floor, steal a couple kisses while sliding his hands wherever he could in a short amount of time. Now Tessa wasn't completely innocent in this time either. Three glasses took her a long ways and this is when Scott started to hear her whisper some things in his ear he had been thinking about all day. She would get up on her toes, even though she was in heels, lean in close so her lips were grazing his ear, whisper a sweet nothing as his hand traveled along her back down to her hips then even farther, and then they would be dragged away by the bartender giving them another glass. They rejoined the group again, dancing along with everyone, until their glass was empty and they would do it all again. Completely exhausted from the last month and this night of "sneaking" around, 1am hit and they started saying goodbye to everyone as they each finished their fifth glass. They blamed in on the fact that they had to be up early to get on a plane, but Tessa wasn't convinced that there would be much sleeping. It didn't help that Scott was secretly feeling her up the whole night and she was't helping the cause.  
Once they made it out of the bar and into the elevator, they realized they were finally alone for the first time since earlier that afternoon. 

"I missed you all day" Scott said softly to Tessa as he pulled her into a gentle embrace he lead by putting his hands on her hips. 

"What are you talking about? I was with you all day" Tessa asked through her tipsy giggles.

He placed a kiss to her nose, then her cheek and moving down to her neck. "I missed being alone with you" he muffled into the bare sweet spot between her neck and shoulder.

As soon as he started to kiss the spot that drove her crazy, Tessa had forgotten what he said, and was completely entranced in this feeling Scott had injected into her. The elevator dinged when it reached their floor and Tessa pulled back, grabbing both of Scott's hands and pulling him behind her all the way down to the end of the hall where their room was. As soon as they were in the room and the door was shut, Scott was taking off his shirt, as was Tessa. They felt it. The moment was right. There was no going back after tonight, but neither of them were scared. There was no feelings of hesitation, as if this was meant to happen this whole time. Once Scott's shirt was off, he moved in closer to Tessa, helping her find the button on the front of her black jeans, which he undid, unzipped the fly, and helped her shimmy out of. This was promptly followed by Scott taking his jeans off, all while still kissing and staying close. He picked her up with her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms around his neck as he lowered her onto the bed, he broke kissing her. 

"You're sure?" he asked her.

"I've never been more sure" she said calmly and continued to kiss him.

The sequence of little kisses turned into a make out, which turned into the rest of their clothes coming off and a condom going on. The night was more perfect than either of them could have imagined their first time being. Even after they were finished, they didn't sleep. They stayed wrapped up in each other under the sheets of the bed, talking, laughing, and just being them when Tessa realized it was 4 am and they had to be packed and ready to leave for the airport by 5.  
Scott needed some time to cool down before he would be forced to act civil on a long flight back to Toronto, so he took a shower and gave Tessa space to pack up all of her things. Once he was finished in the shower, they switched, making it Scott's turn to pack. Only leaving 20 minutes after they had hoped, both with less than mediocre packing jobs because they didn't put in effort or have the time to make it any better, they were leaving Beijing back to Canada. Tessa collapsed into her seat as soon as they got on the plane, Scott quickly following her lead. They both slept most of the way back, Tessa waking up a few hours before they were scheduled to land. She put on a movie as she let Scott to continue to sleep next to her. When she readjusted his blanket when it started to fall down, she overlapped her blanket on his, slipping her hand to rest on his thigh.   
Scott woke up not long before they were supposed to land, with the first thing he felt was Tessa. Just the way it should be. She gave him an earbud as he finished the movie she was watching with her before they made their descent into Toronto.   
They had grabbed all of their things and headed over to the gate that they would board from to get back to London and Tessa shot her mom a quick text, updating her on their estimated time of arrival. With the quick hop from Toronto to London, they were finally home.   
Kate and Alma had set up a surprise for them for when they returned, hoping they wouldn't be too tired for it when they got back. Tessa and Scott greeted Kate at the airport with hugs and kisses, packed all their bags into the car and started driving towards Ilderton.

"Did you guys sleep on the plane?" Kate asked, hoping that they did so the surprise would go off without a hitch. 

"Well, I did, mostly. I would say a good ten hours!" Tessa was super proud of herself.

"I don't remember taking off and I woke up just in time to see Toronto, so I am well rested" Scott said as he stretched out.

"Oh, good! Good thing were almost at your place, Scott" Kate said, obviously trying to hide something.

Tessa and Scott gave each other the look, knowing that they were not just going to be dropping Scott off. Scott knew exactly what was going on when he saw a bunch of his relatives cars parked all over the farm lot, and Tessa had noticed a few rental cars which she immediately linked to her brothers and sister being in town, all at Scott's parent's place. Some secret, not so secret party they were trying to throw.   
It ended up being a bbq that Alma and Kate had thrown together to welcome Tessa and Scott home from tour. They invited all of their closest friends and families who could make it to join them. There was food, games, a campfire, and many visitors to talk to, keeping both Tessa and Scott very busy. Scott would steal looks from Tessa across the room whenever he could, and she would do the same, not taking Jordan very long to jump to assumptions. Jordan was quick to pull Tessa outside onto the deck while everyone was either inside or out at the fire.

"Spill" Jordan said, very abruptly.

"Were going to skate again" Tessa said, already knowing what Jordan was going to ask, but gave her a different answer than she was probably expecting.

"Aw, yes! I'm so happy for you guys!" Jordan said as she pulled Tessa into a hug.

"Just don't tell mom yet. Were going to tell all the parent's tonight after this dies down a little bit."

"Deal."

As their friends were heading out and Tessa's brothers and sister were heading back to their accommodations for the next few days, Tessa and Scott sat down with their parents to explain the situation.

"So, I guess we might as well just say it..." Scott started.

"You're finally together?" Alma blurted out.

Tessa and Scott both looked at each other with wide eyes and start to uncomfortably laugh. "What? No, we aren't-we- no. were not- together" Tessa forced out. 

"Oh, okay then what's up?" Alma continued.

"We are going to skate again" Tessa said as started to recollect herself after Alma had caught them off guard. "And also, Scott is going to stay in my spare room until we move to Montreal, just cause were thinking about sharing a place when we get there, you know, to save on living expenses."

Kate and Alma shot each other a look, not buying into it at all but playing along with the story they were being told. They told them they were so happy that they would be able to watch them skate again and it was a smart economic choice to live together, even though they knew the real reason why they were going to live together.  
As the conversation finished up with their parents, Kate was ready to go and take Tessa home. Scott was already where his parents thought he would be sleeping for the night so he pretended to say goodnight to Tessa, wrapping her up in a hug before Kate took her home. Scott sent her a text as soon as her car pulled away.

"Just going to tell the 'rents about the tour and grab a change of clothes. I'll be over soon, wait up for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are going to try to sneak around? AS IF


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this one is cute, enjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am 100% making up this story up so like pls don't hate me when you realize that the times don't line up like how it actually went down ok thanks but I am doing my best to add real tidbits of information so it's relateable okay bye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp1eOWo2lfI just listen to this if you want to hear the words Scott sings in this...also my inspo. Straight up imagine how freaking adorable this would be.

"Who are ya texting?" Alma asked Scott intrusively, as she walked over closer to him trying to peer over his phone screen before he quickly shoved it in his pocket.

"Just Tessa, telling her to let me know when she got home. Wow mom, so nosy" Scott said back to his mom but with a cheeky grin at the end.

"Okay, okay, so tell us about your tour" Alma went on dragging Joe into the conversation. They all say down at the table drinking tea and talk more about the tour that Scott went on. He told them about doing the great wall of China, but just about how cool it was, failing to mention everything else that had happened there. He told them about all of the weird foods he tried, and overall just how much fun he had being with all of the other skaters. He purposefully left out all of the details about him and Tessa but tried to fill the holes with other random stories. He did include her in some of these stories, trying to make them sound more casual, but he saw his mom's brain going to work. 

"I'm glad you guys had fun!" Alma concluded with a wink. "I guess it's late, should we help you take your bags to the other house, or are you even staying here tonight? When exactly were you going to move into Tessa's place?" 

"We haven't really talked about when, but within the month I think. I'm sure you want me out of your guest house sooner or later" Scott concluded. "Oh and I think I'm just going to stay here tonight...I'm pretty tired" he lied through his teeth as headed towards the front hall to grab his bags. He bid his parents goodnight and made his way across the lot to the small guest house across the pond. This made it an easy escape route for Scott. Even though he was technically living at home, he was in his own house giving him the freedom to do what he wanted when he wanted and his parents respected his need for freedom, which is why they initially offered the place to Scott. When Scott finally had lugged his bags across the farm to the other house, he plunked them in the front entrance, and went straight to his room to fill a backpack of things he would need to spend a couple of days at Tessa's house. He and Tessa had decided they would do a couple nights at her place and a couple at his, just so they could each do the chores around their houses they needed to do before they began training and weren't spending all day at home. Scott figured his suitcase could wait so he just moved it into his room and headed out as quickly as he could. He finally got out to his car, giving him a chance to look at his phone. A text from Tessa was on his screen from 10 minutes ago.

"Hurry uppppppppp. I'm exhausted but I can't fall asleep without you. The front door is locked but you have a key. I'm in bed. Did I mention you need to hurry?"

He didn't even respond, he just sped down the back road out onto the highway that headed back into London. Pulling into her driveway twenty minutes later, Scott grabbed his backpack and keys and opened the front door just like it was his. He locked the door behind him and headed right up to Tessa's room. Laying in bed in a peaceful slumber with the nightstand light still on, Scott walked into the room, shut the door as quietly as he could behind him, but even the tiniest click of the door caused Tessa's eye's shoot open.  
Almost panicked at first at the sudden noise Tessa forced her eyes to shoot open, being blinded by the nightstand light, but very quickly relaxing at the sight of Scott standing in her room. 

"Sorry, sorry. I closed the door too loud" Scott whispered apologetically to Tessa.

"Just turn the light off and come lay down" Tessa spoke softly with a warm smile. 

Scott dropped his backpack on the ground and went over Tessa, placing a kiss on her cheek. He turned out the lamp on her night stand, walked over to the other side of the bed. took of his shirt and shorts and crawled in under the covers next to her. She turned around in his arms, breathing in his scent. 

"What took you so long?" Tessa whispered into Scott's chest.

Scott sighed before he started. "My parent's wanted to know everything, they couldn't wait to hear about the tour."

"Mhmm.." she said as she wiggled in closer. "Also I told you sleeping with no pants on is way more comfortable" she said when she felt his legs against hers.

"You're right, it is very freeing" he continued. "But anyways, then I had to find a way to end the conversation so I said I was exhausted and would talk with them more tomorrow, took my bags to the guest house and now I am finally here." He concluded his story. 

"Finally" she said jokingly, placing a kiss on his neck. "You're parent's are going to have to be okay with hearing more about this later than tomorrow, cause I blew off my sister and mom for you, so you have to blow off your family for me. It's only fair." Tessa stated.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked her.

"My mom said she wanted to take Jordan and I out for brunch tomorrow but I told her I would be too busy sleeping and then she suggested dinner but I told her I would probably be busy all day running errands and stuff, so we planned for Tuesday." Tessa told him.

"So why do I have to blow off my family too?" Scott was genuinely curious. 

"Because my actual plan was to just spend the day with you, duh. Plus I have some things I need to do that I could use your help with? There will be a reward if you agree to help me..." Tessa's grin felt it's way into the crook of Scott's neck, forcing him into a smile as well. 

"Well I can't say no to a reward... the stories will always be there for them, and there isn't much of a reward in that except seeing them, which I do all of the time anyways."

"Did I mention a reward for each thing you help me with?" Tessa finally looked up at him to gauge his reaction.

Scott's face was shocked. From shocked, to smiling like an idiot, to wild thoughts running through his mind to places he shouldn't be letting it go to right now, he didn't know how to control his emotions. 

She let her giggle out, varying with every reaction Scott gave, forcing him farther into thought, occasionally kissing him through his thoughts. He finally gave up on his thoughts and gave into kissing her back. Before she could let this make out go any longer, Tessa pulled away. She pressed her forehead into his and gave him one more kiss on the nose.

"Night, Scott" she said as she rolled over so they were spooning, and pulled his arm around to where she could hold it in front of her. She heard him let out a heavy sigh, only causing her to smile through the frustration she caused him.

He couldn't help himself and continued to nestle his head into her neck, moving her hair out of the way, and pressing kisses into every inch of her neck she could reach. 

"Sc-Scott-Scott, please- don't make me-"

"Don't make me what?" he continued to kiss her, hoping to distract her from her thought.

"Don't make me have to kick you out of bed to the guest room" she continued to fumble with her thoughts and words as she let Scott continue to kiss her.

"Ugh fine, you ruin all the fun" Scott pretended to pout.

Tessa turned around to confront him. "Pouting won't work on me. Just think about your reward, practice some patience" she said then quickly kissed the pout off his lips, turned back around pulling his arm with her, and re assuming the spooning position. 

Tessa was sleeping almost instantly. Something about having Scott near her made it feel easier to fall asleep and stay that way, which was something Tessa had never been very good at. Scott wasn't so quick to sleep, he was afraid to move himself into a more comfortable position, not wanting to wake Tessa, but also not wanting to let go of her. He eventually gave in to fighting the comfort, figuring this would be a battle he would have to face for probably the rest of his life.

Tessa woke up to an empty bed in the morning. She didn't panic when she rolled over and didn't feel him there, just that something was missing. She knew he hadn't gone very far because his backpack was still in the room and his shirt laying on the floor. She fully wiped the sleep out of her eyes, sat up in bed and heard a faint noise coming from downstairs. She didn't bother to get dressed, only wearing a shirt over top of her underwear, and headed down towards the noise. When she got down to the bottom of the stairs, shirtless Scott was making breakfast, singing along weakly to his country playlist, mostly entailing songs about love.

"Maybe it's a good thing you didn't want to be a singer" Tessa spoke, causing Scott to turn away from his cooking.

"What? You don't like it?" Scott pretended to take offense to her comment.

"I like when you sing, but I don't think you're very good at it..." Tessa said as she bit her lip, still standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well in that case, I will just sing louder, and good thing this is a good song. SMOOOOOTH" his grin grew when he heard the song and saw her biting her lip. He started to sing Smooth by Florida Georgia Line. 

Tessa was laughing at how ridiculous Scott looked, but it only made her fall for him more because it was adorable when he got really into a song. She finally moved closer into him and he halted his cooking to swing her around to the beat of the song, continuing to sing the lyrics to her. The song was over before he could burn any of the food he was cooking and she stepped back to let him finish and he continued to sing the next song. 

"Am I always going to wake up to breakfast being made? I could get used to that." Tessa started to think about future breakfast's.

"I really want to aim for one weekend day, but I can't make any promises during training weeks, too difficult to wake up that early as it is."

"Weekend breakfasts? I like that..." she said as she started to move closer to him again. As he was plating their food, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "Thanks for doing this" she muffled into his back. 

"My pleasure" he said as he finished plating, turning around to finally kiss her good morning. "Sorry I didn't do this earlier" he said as he continued to kiss her.

"Let's eat" she said as she took her plate and coffee over to the table.

This living together idea was working out way easier than they had thought, but Scott hadn't fully moved in yet and it had only really been one night. It was so domestic. They had fallen into roles and routines that were so easy. They chatted through their breakfast, Tessa washed the dishes and Scott dried and put them away. They sat and watched TV for an hour or so, so they could finish their coffee before Tessa had to put her focus into what she needed to get done that day with the help of Scott.They didn't bother to get dressed, saving some time in the weekend or day off routine. Before they left, something broke in Tessa's washing machine and the part had showed up while they were away, so she enlisted Scott to fix her washing machine as she unpacked her suitcase, separating laundry loads that needed to be put in when Scott was done fixing it. 

"I'm pretty sure that did it, Tess. Only one way to find out!" Scott yelled up the stairs after he had finished fixing the washing machine to Tessa who was in her room, gathering laundry. 

"Okay, just a second!" She yelled back down, as she gathered her baskets and headed downstairs. "I pretty much have to wash everything. I don't know what's dirty and what isn't'" She went on about her laundry and Scott was pretending to care, but he easily became preoccupied.

"So is this one of the task's I get a reward for?" Scott piped up anxiously.

"Of course, but not yet. I'm going to keep a tally, and I will reward with all of them at the same time" Tessa teased him with a wink. "Okay, next job for you." She moved on quickly, obviously conveying she had a lot to do and they needed to keep on the schedule. "When you move in, you're going to need a place to park your car. So right now, one side of the garage has my car, and the other side has some random boxes. I need you to go through the random boxes for me and find the stuff or the box entirely a new place to go." 

"Seems easy enough, I guess" Scott said as he scratched his head, wondering why this was necessary to do right now. 

"Please? It will help me out so much" she said as she gave him a kiss, batting her eyes at him.

He went out to the garage and started looking through the boxes, which were mostly just junk items, old skating costumes, and other random items that didn't really have a purpose. He moved them down into the storage room in the basement, putting the items into more fitting boxes, putting way more effort into the task then he was supposed to, but he didn't mind.   
Meanwhile, Tessa had thrown her laundry into the washing machine, and ran back upstairs. She was secretively moving all of the decorations and little items from her room into the guest room. The guest room was way bigger than her room, but she chose the smaller room because she didn't feel she needed the bigger space for only her. Now that she had Scott sleeping with her, she wanted to turn the space into their room, and it didn't feel the same just adding his stuff in her room so she figured she would surprise him by making this for him. She took her stuff and put it on the nightstand that was closest to her side of the bed, took the picture that was hanging up in the hall of them and hung it on the wall in the bedroom, and started to move some of her clothes into one half of the walk in closet and dresser, leaving the other halves bare for Scott to fill up. 

"Tess? I think I'm done?" He yelled in the house, hoping to hear a response.

"Okay just wait downstairs for me, just grabbing a couple things" she yelled from upstairs, not wanting him to come up. She found him pants and a shirt in his backpack, and put clothes on herself, took the clothes down to him. "Okay, get dressed, your next task isn't in the house" she said throwing the clothes at him." 

"Why can't I get dressed upstairs?" he quizzed her.

"You just- you can't- not yet" she said, forcing a smile to her face, trying to reassure him. 

"Well, okay then..." he said as he started to put the clothes on right in front of her. 

"Okay, perfect, lets go" she said as she gathered her purse and keys and led them out to her car. She noticed Scott looking a little confused and attempted to reassure him. "I know you don't like surprises, but this one will be worth it, I promise" she said to Scott, who was in the passenger seat, as she back out of her driveway and headed down the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok but I'm genuinely curious to see how this turns out


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is cute, enjoy!

When Scott realized Tessa had gotten on the highway out to Ilderton, he turned even more confused than before. 

"Why are we going to Ilderton? What possible job do you have for me out here?" Scott quizzed her.

"We just have to stop at your place for a couple minutes..." Tessa said very vaguely

"Do my parents know were coming?" 

"Well, no. But that's okay, were going to the guest house. Is most of your stuff there?" She continued the conversation.

"Mostly. I don't really have much other than my personal stuff anyways" Scott was going along with it, but still overly confused.

"That's perfect!" she exclaimed as she pulled up into the driveway of the guest house. She got out and waited for Scott to get past her to let them in.

He stopped in the doorway to wait for Tessa to take off her shoes. He didn't know what to do, so he had to wait for instruction. "Okay, now what?"

"Show me your stuff" Tessa said with a smile, putting air quotes around stuff.

"Oh, okay..?" Scott said as he went down the hallway to his room. "It's pretty bare, I have enough stuff to keep me occupied and make it feel a little bit like home." Scott said, presenting her with his room.

"Are they all things you want to take to Montreal?" Tessa asked.

"Well obviously I want this picture" he said picking up the picture of him and Tessa on the top of the Vancouver podium. "And these" he grabbed the small trinket he picked up in Sochi and another picture of him and his brothers. "The rest are just pictures of my family on the walls in the hallway but I think my parents want to keep those in this house. But there's this one" he said picking up the photo on the top of the dresser that was of Tessa and Scott and Kate and Alma from when they were younger. "This one is mine too" he said smiling while looking at the picture.

"But everything else stays in the house?" Tessa asked.

"Yeah, that's okay though, these are the most important to me anyways. I don't really need any furniture till we move anyways. Wait... so why am I doing this?" Scott clued back in after reminiscing at the few things he found.

"Bring those with you, we have one more stop" Tessa said as she walked out and back to the main entrance.

Scott did what he was told and took the pictures and the little items he found on the way out of his room and headed towards the door to meet Tessa. He gave up on asking questions because he knew she wouldn't budge on the plan. Still looking like a deer in the headlights, he put the things down, went to find a bag to put them all in and them put his shoes on, placing the articles in them. 

Tessa noticed his face and attempted to bring him back to reality with a kiss. "The next task could be fun, just don't worry about it" she said as she slid her hand down his arm to take his hand. "Ready?" 

"Yeah, let's go." Scott smiled back at her and let her lead him back to the car. They went back in towards London, heading for the department store. 

Tessa pulled into a spot. "Okay, were here." 

"What are we doing at this store?" Scott asked. 

"You know I was thinking, if were going to live together, we need some things that are ours. So things like bed sheets, and some new decorations. I want to pick this stuff out together. Even though it's my house, I want to make sure you feel like you live there. And then when we move to Montreal, we can start fresh and pick everything out together."

Scott had a beaming smile and was thought it was so cute that she had put in this much effort into planning out 4 months of living in her house like this. "You know, I would've been just fine sleeping on the couch until we moved, but this is really nice that you thought of this. Thanks, Tessa" he said genuinely and gave her a kiss. 

"Let's go!" she said after she had reciprocated the kiss. 

They walked into the store separately, Scott really wanting to hold her hand, but not sure if it was the time or place to do it. She seemed content walking on her own looking at everything she could before she realized Scott had grabbed a cart in order to occupy his hands. 

"Oh, thanks for grabbing that, I didn't even think about it" Tessa said almost shyly but smiling at him, dismissing the fact that she was hoping to hold his hand. 

They made their way over to the back corner where all of the bedding was. They looked through all the options, discussing patterns and colors, Scott trying to find the one that went best with the furniture that was already in her room. "Well you have white walls and grey furniture, so that leaves quite a bit of option" Scott said to her as he continued to ponder the choices. 

"Well the furniture is grey, but the wall color can be changed, whatever you like" she said, finally mustering up the courage, going over to him and interlocking her fingers in his. "I didn't mention it yet but I wanted to move everything into what is the guest room now. Instead of you moving into my room, I figured we could move into our room" she suggested, looking up at him, seeing the smile creep on his face.

He didn't have anything to say so he just gave in and kissed her. He pulled away, still smiling and went back to eye up his initial choice. "Well what about this one?" he said pointing to a navy comforter with small detailing in it. "That way we don't have to change the wall color or do anything crazy, it'll just fit right in" Scott suggested.

"I like that! I was thinking maybe a darker color would be better anyways, then you can't see it wear so quickly" she said as she found the right size and threw it into the cart. The continued to find pillow cases and sheets that went together, then moved onto finding a few decorations they could add to their room when it clicked in Scott's head.

"So we went to my house to get my stuff, now were here getting our stuff... are you trying to get me to move in right away?" Scott finally confronted her.

"Took you long enough to figure it out. While you were in the garage earlier, I was moving my clothes from my room to ours. And then I moved my things over, so now it's your turn."

"So should I be going back home to get my things?" Scott asked.

"Well take your time, there's no rush. But I figured we might as well start sleeping in our bed instead of mine."

"Our bed" he repeated it a couple of times. "Yeah, our bed. I like that" he said again, smiling through his words as they walked up to the cashier.

They paid for their things and headed back to what was slowly turning into their home in London. They talked about how they were thinking of keeping that house while they were in Montreal, so when they had finished skating, they could move back in and continue to make it more like their place. They each took what they could inside and went up to their room. Scott noticed Tessa's favorite pictures and her matching figure to his from Sochi on her nightstand table. So he copied, putting the picture of him and his brothers and the figurine on his bedside table. Tessa stripped the bed of the old sheets and folded them, finding a place for them in the closet. She was about to head downstairs to wash the new ones they had purchased before Scott started to talk. 

"I think we should hang this one up" he said pulling out the picture of the Vancouver podium out from the bag. 

"I think so too, where did you want to hang it?" Tessa asked Scott.

He walked around the room, finding which wall he thought it looked best on. "Right here" he said assertively. "The light from the window will hit it nicely."

"Well that can be another job for you today then" Tessa said before she took the new sheets to the washing machine. 

Scott followed behind her and out to the garage to see if he could find any tools that would help him hang the picture up. Tessa had a random collection of nuts and bolts, and a couple screwdrivers, but none of those were helpful. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he figured he would run home and grab a hammer and the right nails. "Hey I'm just gonna go stop at the farm for the right tools to hang this up. Did you want me to pick up some dinner on the way back? Or do you want to come? I'm sure mom made something we could have."

"I'll come with. The washing machine is going to take a while anyways and I don't have much more to do until it's done." 

They got their things together as Scott drove them back to Ilderton yet again today. Instead of pulling up at the guest house right away, he pulled into the lot of the main house, intending on finding the tools in the main shed. Before Scott went to look for the tools, he and Tessa went inside, meeting Alma in the kitchen prepping dinner. 

"Is there enough for two more?" Scott asked as he went up to hug his mom.

"You know I always make lots. How are you guys?" Alma said hugging both of them.

"Tired, and hungry" Tessa said as she laughed a little bit.

"Well I came over to look for tools because Tessa enlisted my help today at her place and she doesn't have the right ones. And I was going to stop for some dinner but I figured we could just come here instead and everything we needed." Scott explained to his mom. 

"Oh that's fine. It probably won't be ready for another half an hour if you want to wait around. Dad should be home soon" Alma continued.

"Maybe we'll go look for those tools right now and see what else we can come up with" Scott said, trying to find a way he and Tessa could waste the time.

"Have you been gone all day, Scott" Alma quizzed him, seeing if he would drop any hints.

"Ehh-ah- no. I left this morning though, then I stopped by again quickly, then I was gone again. It's been a crazy day" he tried to explain, then looked at Tessa who gave him a smile. 

"My washing machine broke before we left and it hadn't been fixed but all I needed to get done today was laundry, so I called Scott early to see if he could come fix it, thankfully he was awake" Tessa tried to explain better to Alma while still covering the truth about how the day actually went down.

"Yeah, so that was fine, but then she kept finding things for me to do, and now were here" Scott concluded, his voice going up on the last couple words.

Alma nodded the whole time, deciding or not whether she wanted to buy into their stories or not, but Tessa had sold her's very well. "Okay well like I said, give me half an hour."

"Thanks mom" Scott said.

"Yes, thank you so much" Tessa quickly added.

"Let's go find those tools" Scott said heading towards the back door out to the shed with Tessa following behind him. 

Alma was not so quick to let them get away with this, so she watched them through the kitchen window walk out to the shed. Scott knew that his mom would be watching so he kept his hands to himself during the short walk to the shed. Tessa was confused as to why Scott was walking so far away from her.

"You're so far away.. what's up?" Tessa said to Scott, looking over at him as they were walking.

"Wave to my mom in the window if you want" Scott said back, with his hands shoved in his pockets looking over to the kitchen window. 

"Oh, never mind then" Tessa said quickly when she looked up and saw Alma in the window, smiling at them but still making dinner. 

They made it to the shed and Scott unlocked the lock, opened the door, and went in to look for the tools. "Get in here" he said to Tessa who was standing outside the shed waiting for Scott. 

Tessa followed Scott in after he prompted her to join him. Once she was fully in, Scott left the door open, but stood in a corner close to the tool wall where they were blocked by another wall from the kitchen window. He pulled Tessa into an embrace, hugging and kissing her. She reciprocated the kisses that he was giving, but he pulled away shortly after. 

"I would love to keep going, but she'll wonder why we were in here so long" Scott said, knowing his mom's tendencies. 

Tessa pulled back, pouted, but understood why he was doing what he did when he resumed to looking for the tools he needed. "What are we going to do for the next 25 minutes?" Tessa asked.

"Well, we can put these in the car, and then maybe go pack up some of my clothes" Scott suggested.

Tessa agreed with the plan, and stepped out of the shed when Scott had found what he was looking for. "Yup, still watching" Tessa said as she made her first look over to the kitchen window, seeing Alma not quite watching but still within a close distance. 

"Told you" Scott said as he held up the tools to show his mom he found them and then continued to walk over to his car so he could put them in. Once they put the tools in the car, Scott figured they could take the long way to the guest house, away from where his mom would be able to watch so he could finally hold Tessa's hand. They took the path through the trees that took them around the house and down to the guest house. He was finally able to walk with Tessa, holding her hand and not worrying about what anyone saw or thought. They had a quick walk down to the other house with small conversations filling the time. They made it to the guest house and Scott let them in for the second time, going up to his room again to see what clothes he wanted to bring. 

"Maybe I should unpack and do laundry first before I figure out what I want to bring" Scott said scratching his head while looking at the suitcase that was still full and closed on the floor.

"You don't have to, you can just bring that bag over and do laundry" Tessa suggested, stepping in closer to Scott. She made it to him, attempting to distract him from what he was thinking by placing her arms around him, stroking his back. "We have only have 15 minutes anyways..." she got softer moving her hands lower, reaching up to meet his lips.

He was officially distracted. He gave into her tease and began to kiss her, eventually lowering her down to the bed. It was a hot and heavy makeout that didn't lead to much more considering the time crunch. When they both started to cool down, they made their way out, Scott grabbing his suitcase and carrying it across the lot to his car. They took the short way, not bothering to lug his suitcase the long way around to avoid his mom. He made it to his car, put the suitcase in and headed inside to eat dinner. 

"So what's with the suitcase?" Alma asked Scott once they sat down for dinner.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lot of conversations, suggestive smut and SO MUCH FLUFF. enjoy!

Alma left no time to mess around. 

"So what's with the suitcase?" She immediately quizzed Scott when he sat down at the dinner table. 

Scott's face started to turn bright red, as he forced his brain to quickly come up with something to say. "Well I mean, you know that I'm moving into Tessa's place, so I figured I would just move some of my stuff that I won't need for a while over there now, I guess..." 

"Oh, I see... so you're wanting to be fully moved in soon then?" Alma continued. 

"Well yeah, I guess there's no point in waiting around. I want to do as much as I can before were back to training for the majority of the week, starting after this weekend" Scott looked over to Tessa, looking for any reassurance that he said the right things. She gave him a quick nod, giving him the assurance he was looking for. "Speaking of this weekend.." Scott started again, trying to divert from the topic. "Birthday party? Do we want to have a mini get together?" Scott asked his mom.

"Do you? It's your birthday" Alma suggested.

"I was going to ask if I could have the party here. We can invite family, but I want a night with my buddies, is that okay?" Scott asked his mom.

"Parties are always welcome here. It's okay, Scott. We can have a family party another day, you should see all of your friends. I assume you're invited, Tessa. I'm going to put you in charge of keeping the party under control" she said shooting Tessa a look. Alma's look was complex. Part of it was like, obviously you're invited, Scott would invite his girlfriend. But part of it was serious, like make sure he doesn't destroy the place, and another part being that she was still happy they wanted to hang out around the house. 

"Of course she's invited!" Scott interjected the look. "Invite your friends too, Tessa. I want to make this a big party!" Scott was getting excited.

"Oh, okay I guess I'm coming, and I'm inviting friends!" She said with excitement and surprise about the spontaneous plan. 

They sat and planned out a date and time with Alma and Joe, conveniently wanting the time Alma and Joe were planning on being out of the house. They also thought it would be better to just let Scott have his party without his parents around. Tessa and Scott had easy conversation with Alma and Joe for the rest of dinner before they finished and offered to help clean up. 

"So are you staying in the house tonight, Scott? Or going to Tessa's?" Joe spoke up, finally trying to accomplish the same thing Alma had been for most of the night. 

"Well, I did come over initially to get tools to help Tessa hang up some pictures in her house, so I'm going to go and do that, but I will probably come back...don't know, depends how long it takes..." Scott lied yet again to his parents. He wasn't going to be coming back, but he was still trying to play it coy, not ready or willing to spill the tea of their relationship. 

"Alright, I was just curious.. not that it matters. It is your life.." Joe went on, talking as if he was trying to prompt Scott into talking some more. 

They bid goodnight to each other, Scott promising he would stop by tomorrow for a bit to return the tools, and to check in. And probably move more things, but he wasn't going to tell his parents that. Tessa and Scott got into the car, heading out back towards London. 

"Probably should've taken the long way back to the car with the suitcase... I knew she would see it" Scott muttered to himself. 

"You handled it well though" Tessa tried to talk to him.

"Yeah? Well that's good, I guess" Scott sighed. "I just- I didn't think it would be so hard hiding this from them" he said to her as he moved his hand over to her lap, where her fingers intertwined with his.

"I know, I want to tell Jordan so bad, but I just can't do it yet- I want to, but I don't" Tessa said conflicted, looking over at Scott who was concentrating on navigating the car down the dark highway.

"Me too, but this is good right? If were still both on the same page about what we want to tell and what we don't" Scott tried to find the positive. 

"It is good, I'm just not ready to tell them because then I won't be enjoying this time just being with you, because then I feel like were going to have too many family affairs people are going to talk and you know- " Tessa sighed. "I'm not ready to share you yet" she admitted yet.

Scott squeezed her hand as she talked. "You won't ever have to share me. I'm sure we'll eventually share information, but you won't ever have to share me, babe" Scott slipped out the new pet name casually. 

Tessa's gaze shot straight up to his face from the highway she was fixed on before she heard him say babe. 

Scott was smiling, continuing to keep his eyes on the road, stealing a quick glance at her. "Is that okay? Can I call you that?" he made sure.

"Yeah, I like it" she said so softly, her cheeks turning pink and the famous giddy grin crept up on her face, as she squeezed his hand back. 

They had one more quick conversation about who they were going to invite to Scott's party before they made it back to Tessa's house. They pulled in and Scott had grabbed everything from the trunk that he picked up from his parent's. He took the suitcase over to the washing machine, intending on dealing with it later. Tessa grabbed the comforter from the dryer, and followed Scott up to the bedroom where he took the tools to hang the picture. She walked into the room, putting the blanket neatly on the bed, watching Scott hammering a nail into the wall. She stood back and helped him make sure the picture was hanging straight. When he finished adjusting it, he stepped back, took a better look and felt Tessa's arms wrap around his waist. He immediately took her into his embrace.

"It's perfect" Tessa piped up. "It fits really nicely in here. Good choice, babe." 

"So you're gonna say it too now?" Scott looked down at her when he heard her say it.

"Is that okay? I should also make sure it's okay with you too" she said. 

"It's perfect" he said, bending down to meet her lips. 

Something about sharing a kiss this sweet in the bedroom that was officially theirs had a special feeling. Almost as if this whole day had started a new phase of their relationship that felt daunting at first, yet ended up being so natural. 

"I'm kinda tired... can we go to bed?" Tessa asked softly.

"Yeah, it's getting late anyways. I'm tired too" Scott said with a smile, giving her another quick kiss. 

Tessa let go from their embrace, and walked right out of the room into what was her old room. She took as many pairs of pajamas and sleeping shirts she could from the dresser and brought them back to her new room, placing them in the top drawer on her side of the dresser. Scott went into the bathroom connecting to the guest room which conveniently had his and her sinks. Almost as if this move was supposed to happen all along. He claimed a sink in correlation to his side of the bed, and started brushing his teeth. Tessa walked into the room wearing only a long sleeping tshirt and underwear. 

"So that's your side I guess?" Tessa asked Scott.

"Is that okay?" Scott asked back. 

"It's perfect. Everything is perfect" she smiled at him in the mirror. "You know, you don't have to ask if everything you do is okay. I'll tell you if it isn't" Tessa said shyly.

"I know I don't. But I care about you too much, so I need to make sure you're okay and then I'll be okay."

Tessa went up behind him after he finished brushing his teeth, wrapping her arms around him, resting her hands on his chest, pressing her face into his back, taking in the scent that was specifically described as Scott. He placed his hands on top of where hers were, closing his eyes, letting him feel every part of her that was against him. 

She finally smoothed her hands down his chest to reach for one of his hands. "C'mon" she spoke softly, leading him towards the bed.

They crawled into their respective sides, readjusting to the feeling of a new bed, but immediately feeling the comfort of being together. 

"You know what couples usually do when they move into a new house? I know we aren't in a new house, but we are in a new room, that's close enough.." Scott suggested, pulling Tessa closer to him. 

"What do they do?" Tessa's smirk crept up on her face as Scott pulled her in and started to place kisses on her cheek that lead down to her neck, causing her to moan.

The kisses lead to Scott turning out the nightstand lamp and taking off Tessa's shirt. She obviously wasn't as tired as she pleaded she was before, because she perked right up when Scott moved his lips down her chest, begging him to keep going. He gave into her wishes, making her feel pleasure like she has never felt before. Something about fitting together so well before made sex that much better every time.  
They had a magical first night in their new room and Tessa woke up with the thought that she would never get tired of seeing. Scott next to her with a half smile across his face while he was sleeping so peacefully. She nestled in closer to him, and he unconsciously readjusted to fit her body with his. She gently placed her head on his chest and he had his arms around her, letting her fall back asleep for little bit before they both woke up around the same time. They kissed good morning and got up and put their clothes back on and made their way downstairs where Scott put on a pot of coffee. They sat with their coffee on the couch and watched some tv before they were finished, each of them taking their cups to the sink. Tessa went up to shower and move more of her clothes over, while Scott made breakfast and started the laundry that was sitting in his suitcase. Tessa finished her shower, got dressed and came down to join Scott for breakfast. They scrolled through their phones for part of their breakfast but then they would talk about some interesting things they were reading. They finished eating and Tessa did dishes, giving Scott a chance to put his clothes in the dryer and have a shower. This new routine was so easy for them. They didn't have to think or talk about what they would do next, they just let it happen. A routine they fell into as if they had been doing it for years. It was almost as if they had been married forever, the domestic feeling it brought.  
Tessa retreated up to the bedroom to put makeup on for the day, when Scott got out of the shower.

"So my mom decided she wanted to do lunch and not dinner, so I'm gonna get going soon" Tessa said as she continued to do her makeup. 

"That's fine. I promised my parent's I would make an appearance at their place, and I might even head to the rink. I know my mom has a 2 o'clock lesson shes been bugging me to help her with forever, so maybe I'll finally do that" Scott concluded, trying to plan his day.

"You should!" Tessa said excitedly. "Let me know if she want's any help with any lessons, I'd love to help" Tessa said excitedly. 

"I'm sure she would love that. We could go together? She's got a couple dance teams on Sunday mornings I'm sure she'll willingly take the help with" Scott pointed out as he was digging through his backpack for some clothes. 

"That would be fun! Let's go Sunday" Tessa said eagerly.

"Good thing this party is Friday, I'll have some time to recover. Don't forget to tell Jordan to invite some of her friends too when you see her" Scott added.

"I won't" Tessa said turning around to smile at him. 

They both finished getting ready to leave for the afternoon. Tessa left before Scott, making sure to kiss him goodbye before she left. After she left, he took the rest of his laundry and put it in his drawers and hung up a few dress shirts in the closet, before he had to head out too. He went to the guest house first, grabbing his skating bag, and filling up a box with some more of his clothes, quickly packing it into his trunk, just in case anyone was around. He was on high alert now that his mom was catching on, and he knew she was. He headed back over to the main house, meeting up with his mom before they headed to the rink. After the lesson, Scott brought up the fact that Tessa wanted to come by too.

"So Tessa wants to help out around here now too, I told her Sunday is a good day cause you have three teams and only one of you."

"Oh that would be amazing if she wanted to help out on Sundays. Did she convince you to come in and help too?" Alma asked.

"Yes, we're both going to come on Sunday, so you don't have to beg other volunteers to come in anymore" Scott told her. 

"Oh yay! You guys are wonderful" Alma said excitedly, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Tell her I say thank you, but I'm sure I'll see her soon enough I can tell her myself."

"I'll tell her, no worries mom" Scott responded.

Meanwhile, Tessa was out for lunch with Kate and Jordan. They caught up, discussing the tour more in depth and Jordan filling Tessa in about everything she missed out on during her time away. Tessa told Jordan about Scott's party, encouraging her to invite as many friends that could come because he was planning on having a big party. Kate spent most of her time listening to the way Tessa would bring up Scott to see if it would give away anything, but Tessa was very cautious about what she said. They finished lunch and all of them split ways, until Kate pulled Jordan aside before they got in their cars. 

"I have a job for you" Kate started. "I think they're finally together, so see what you can find out at this party" Kate said, smirking at Tessa. 

"Oh don't worry, I'm with you on that" Jordan reassured her. 

 

Tessa was finally back at home later that afternoon, and she walked into a box and Scott's skating bag in the front entrance.

"Hey sorry, I just kinda dropped it there" Scott said as he came out of the bathroom and heard Tessa come inside. 

"That's okay... you snuck another box out I see" Tessa said.

"Yeah, I was thinking that maybe I should be out of that house before the party so if people need or want to stay over, there's more room for them to do so." 

"Good thinking, then it won't be your house anymore. How are you? How was your afternoon?" Tessa finally asked Scott when he came over to the door and greeted her with a kiss.

"Really good, mom was over the moon to hear about Sunday lessons, so you've committed now and you won't get out of it very easy" Scott told her, hoping she understood what she got them into.

"Aw good, I'm so excited" Tessa said with a huge smile.

"How was lunch? Did you talk to Jordan?"

"Yep, I told her about the party, but then her and mom started acting a little weird so I told her to just text me with who was coming and dropped the topic" Tessa said as she took her cardigan off and hung it up. 

"Weird? What kind of weird?" Scott pondered.

"I don't know, really. Kind of like they knew something I didn't. Might be just me, but I think our moms are onto us" Tessa confronted him.

"No, not just you, I think they are. My mom said something about how she wanted me to thank you but she would be seeing you soon anyways. I don't know, whatever" Scott said as he picked up the box and headed towards the stairs. 

"I'm not worried too much about it yet. Did you want some help with that?" Tessa asked Scott, gesturing to the box in his hands. 

"You are way better at organizing than I am, so I would love some help" he said as he looked back at her and smiled and she followed him upstairs to their room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lot's of dialogue, please don't hate me. Little bit of stress, but good stress. This needed to happen, I feel. Enjoy :)

The party is tomorrow and Scott has been too busy spending the last couple days in his new home with Tessa to think about preparing for it. Sitting at the breakfast table, Tessa was going over their training schedule that was starting next week, transferring it onto paper, hoping she would have an easier time remembering it. 

"Oh, I remembered what I was going to ask you" Scott perked up from his phone. "Do you think we could spend some time at the guest house today? I could use your help packing and cleaning up before tomorrow."

"Totally! I didn't have anything in mind really. I just need to go grocery shopping at some point considering there is now two people eating here" Tessa said.

"Oh.. yeah I guess.. I mean you can have whatever food is left at the other place too" Scott suggested.

After breakfast, they got ready for the day and headed out to Ilderton to pack and clean up. Scott had dropped Tessa off at the house and he went over to take the tools back to the main house shed. Thankfully his mom was out teaching a lesson this afternoon, so she didn't see him. He went back over to the house, and saw Tessa loading the washing machine with the sheets from his old room and the guest rooms. 

"If you are going to have people staying here, we should at least make sure there is blankets for them" Tessa said to Scott as he came through the door and noticed what she was doing. 

"You're right, I think they'll appreciate it. Our final number is about 50 ish, and with my parents going out of town, there's lots of rooms for people to stay in between the two houses. And couches, and the floor."

"So they decided to go to Toronto after all, huh?" Tessa inquired, referring to his parents.

"Yes, thankfully!"

They continued their banter as they planned out the task's each of the would do around the house for the afternoon. Scott was in charge of finding anything and everything else he needed to be moved and pack it up and move it into the farm's truck so he could take it over later. Tessa would do more of the smaller cleaning tasks and they also agreed it would be a good idea to leave snacks in both houses for those who would get drunk and hungry, so she was going to do groceries at some point as well.  
Scott had been left in the house by himself when Tessa had done what she assigned herself to do and left to get the groceries. He had the place pretty much cleaned out and in boxes in the back of his truck. He also made sure to drunk proof the place by taking out any breakables and hiding them in locked cabinets. He left the farm, taking all of his things back to Tessa's place. She wasn't there, but it didn't matter anymore. He unloaded the boxes and left them in the garage, figuring he would come back to them later.  
He headed back towards Ilderton, seeing Tessa's car parked outside the guest house. She was finally back from grocery shopping. He walked in, expecting to see Tessa, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. He called for her a few times, checked the fridge and cupboards, they were full so she was here at one point, and when she wasn't responding, he sent her a text.

"Hey I'm at the house and you aren't... where did you go?"

"Main house, your mom caught me.."

Scott left and walked across the farm back to the main house to see Tessa in the kitchen with Alma having a glass of wine. Tessa seemed comfortable when he spotted her from quite a distance away. She was laughing and chatting, as was his mom. He entered quietly through the back door, seeing if he could hear anything they were talking about.

"I'm glad you convinced Scott to come teach, I'm so excited to have you guys help" he heard his mom say from the back hall. 

"I'm glad I can come too, mom!" he yelled, hoping he would catch her off guard a little bit with his sudden interjection.

"Oh, you're finally back! What were you thinking sending Tessa to get groceries for your party, Scott?"

"She offered..." he cautiously walked in on their conversation.

"This is true, I did offer. It's no problem at all!" Tessa assured her.

The three conversed about arrangements for the party and discussed final numbers.

"Where are all of those people going to stay over? I don't think any of them will be fit to drive home knowing what kind of party you're throwing" Alma asked.

"Well, all of my stuff is officially out of the guest house... so some can stay there" Scott said hesitantly.

"Oh, is that so? Well I guess that frees up some room then..." Alma was trying to gauge the situation unfolding in front of her, not knowing where to take it next. 

"And the basement in this house has good carpet, I'm sure people won't mind sleeping on the floor, and the couches, and the guest bedroom, we can figure it out" Scott continued, diverting away from the guest house thing.

"Uh huh, I suppose..." Alma was still pondering how quickly the move went. "So you guys are officially living together now..."

"Yeah! I guess as of today, since everything is at my place" Tessa chimed in, failing to mention what they have been up to for the last few days.

"Well, that's great. I'm happy it all worked out" Alma quickly concluded. "Were you planning on staying for dinner?" 

"I can't, I have groceries sitting in the back of my car for my- well I guess our place now, so I have to head home soon" Tessa told her.

"You, Scott? Your brothers are coming, since you forced them out here for your party" Alma trying to convince him.

"Well I guess I better stay then, don't want to miss that kind of opportunity" Scott concluded, then looked over at Tessa. "That's okay with you right?" 

Tessa was caught a little off guard when he asked her. Way to give away their relationship more. "Oh, yeah- totally- you do you, Scott" she tried to play it cool.

Tessa finished up her glass of wine, before she was getting ready to leave. 

"I'll walk you back over to your car. Lot's of time before dinner" Scott told her, not knowing his mom was listening from the other room.

He walked with her the long way back to the other house so he could hold her hand and get himself through spending a small amount of time away from her. "You okay to drive? I can take you and come back.." 

"Yeah, I've had one glass... all good" Tessa said firmly, holding something back.

"Well, okay then" he left it at that as they continued to walk hand in hand, but in silence.

Silence wasn't really Tessa's thing, but she didn't know how to bring up what she needed to say to Scott without getting a reaction, so she waited until they got to her car at the other house before speaking. "You're coming back after dinner, right?" Tessa asked him, leaning against the drivers door of the car.

"Yeah... Are you alright? You seem... I don't know- you just don't seem like you" Scott tried to say in a nice way.

"She knows, Scott. She asked me, I tried to deny it and she saw right through it. It's fine though- she said she wouldn't say anything, but now I feel pressured to tell my mom" she said as she crossed her arms, not knowing if he would want to be touched or not. 

"Oh, okay. Well- uhhh- are you okay with that? With her knowing?" Scott wasn't sure what to say.

"Well, I guess I have to be. I think I am more frustrated that it isn't the way I wanted her to find out, or anyone. Or at this point."

"I get that. I didn't want it to be like this either" he said as he stepped in closer to her. He rested his hands on her hips and lightly caressed around them. 

"You know what? It's fine. We can talk about this when you get back later. Sorry it happened this way, I fucked up" she said, starting to get angry with herself. 

"Babe, don't- you didn't do anything- Tessa..." he said, trying to calm her down. "I don't want you to be mad" he said, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I just- I need some time to cool down- I don't really know what to think right now." Tessa finished up whatever muddled thought she was trying to get out into words. She leaned in, pressed a quick kiss to his lips and pulled away, still looking at him. "Have a good dinner." And with that she was in the car, backing out of the driveway, leaving Scott standing there watching her leave. She shouldn't have been reading her texts while she was driving but she couldn't help it when Scott's text tone immediately came through. 

"I love you, T. Let me know when you're home safe." It was simple. She didn't respond. She just read it and felt herself start to cry.

"Hey, can you come over right now?" She said through sniffles to Jordan on the phone. "Great, see you soon" and she hung up.

 

She sent Scott a text back saying she was home when she pulled into the driveway and five minutes later Jordan was in her kitchen, pouring them each a glass of wine.

"Tell me what's going on" Jordan said softly, trying to soothe Tessa with a glass of wine.

"I don't even see why we even attempted to hide this in the first place, it's so stupid and now everyone knows anyways" Tessa started muttering to herself.

"Woah, okay slow down. Who is we and hide what?" Jordan asked confused, but also had an idea of where this was going.

"Scott. It's always Scott, isn't it?" Tessa tried to reason with herself. 

"So you are together?" Jordan confirmed.

"You knew too? Ughhhhh" Tessa was exasperated at this point.

"Well, no, you just told me. I had a feeling but that isn't the same as knowing... I'm sorry if I sound shallow, but I don't get what the big deal about this is" Jordan admitted.

"That is the issue, Jordan. It shouldn't be a big deal. I don't know, I guess I wasn't ready to admit that I wanted to be with him, it all happened so fast, and I was so set on waiting until after our career but you know, feelings show up whenever they want, they destroy you, you give in, and that's it." Tessa started to ramble.

"Mhmm-"

"And, like, I love him. Not like I have for 17 years love, but like really love and that's fucking scary. We're gonna skate again, we live together, we're finding a place together in Montreal. It all just happened so fast."

"You live together? Like now?" 

"Yeah he started moving in a couple days ago."

"Oh, wow."

"Yep."

"Okay, so what do you need from me?" Jordan asked her, trying to help Tessa in the best way she could. 

"Tell me I'm doing the right thing, and I haven't rushed into anything. Oh also, don't tell mom, I should be the one to tell her."

"You should be the one to tell her. It's your story, T. All I'm gonna tell you is that you haven't rushed into anything. I think you forget so easily that this has been almost 10 years in the making now..."

"I do forget that quite often, I guess this is just a foreign experience to me. But everything in the past few months has felt so right. I haven't felt this sure of a relationship before because the guy wasn't Scott..." Tessa let out a sigh. "Has it really been that obvious to everyone all these years?" Tessa realized.

Jordan didn't say anything. She just shrugged and had a look on her face that was saying yes. "I have one more question, if I may."

Tessa nodded at her waiting for her to ask her question.

"What brought this up now?" 

"Chatted with Alma earlier. She knows... she said it was obvious."

"So that means mom probably already knows..." Jordan let out.

"Probably..." Tessa hadn't thought about how close their moms were.

The conversation died off as they both finished off their wine. Jordan stayed around for the night, watching movies with Tessa, hoping to distract her from her raging thoughts from her. Tessa had fallen asleep on the couch during the movie they were watching and Jordan let her. She was exhausted from crying.  
Scott got home later that night to see Jordan on their couch watching TV, but not seeing that Tessa was laying beside her. He closed the door softly behind when Jordan prompted him to shhh and pointed down to the couch next to her. 

"Wasn't expecting to see you here" Scott said in a whisper to Jordan as he walked over to the couch and peered over top to see Tessa completely asleep. 

Jordan got up from the couch with as little movement as possible and went to hug Scott. "She's had a rough night" she started to explain to him. "I didn't want to wake her up."

"Yeah, she left earlier pretty upset. Is everything okay now?" Scott showed genuine concern. 

"Yes. I'm happy for you guys, you know. She told me what went on between her and your mom and it kind of threw her for a loop. She needed some time to sort it out."

"See, I didn't get the full story on that.. what happened?" Scott was intrigued now, considering his mom didn't bring anything up during dinner. 

"She pretty much told Tessa she knew you guys were together, Tessa had no way out of it so she admitted it, your mom cried and said something along the lines of finally, making Tessa feel almost like she jumped in really quick with you because of the pressure that everyone puts on you two and now she thinks that our mom knows and she wanted to tell her herself..."

"No one has ever pressured us into it, I know that everyone has assumed it would happen at some point, but I never felt pressured, I feel bad she did... And I think the timing threw her off too. " 

"Yes, the timing! She was saying she was going to wait till after the Olympics. I told her that was crazy and it was happening now and she needs to get that out of her head and she seemed fine with it. And I think I talked her out of pressure from other people thing. I explained it just like you said it. I told her that no one was pressuring you guys, but to take a step back and look at it from our perspective. All we see is the amazing chemistry you guys have skating and the few times we see you together off the ice. And that is where your mom was coming from when she said finally" Jordan continued. "So the pressure part is gone. And then she told me how much she loves you. So now I guess my role as a sister is to say something to you like if you hurt her, I'm gonna send my dad after you" Jordan concluded with a small but quiet laugh. 

"She's lucky to have you. I don't think I would've been able to give her that kind of conversation.." Scott thought to himself.

"And you know what? Sometimes it's good for her to talk to someone else. I think this really helped her, which benefits all of us." Jordan told him. "You need to talk with her though, but everything is fine. I'm gonna head home, I'll see you at the party tomorrow." Jordan said as she hugged Scott goodbye.

"Thanks Jordan. You rock" Scott told her with a big smile, hugging her back. He let her out and locked the door behind her, and then went to sit on the couch where Tessa was sleeping down. He gently rubbed her leg.

She felt an all too familiar touch on her leg. She remembers being with Jordan earlier, but it wasn't Jordan's hand. It was Scott's hand, obviously. A feeling she would never erase. Her eyes started to flutter open at his touch.

"Hey" he whispered to her when he noticed her eyes moving. "Let's get you to bed." 

She nodded and he picked her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He placed her gently on her side of the bed, but she didn't lay down, so he stayed and kneeled down in front of her. He noticed her eyes were red and swollen, but he didn't say anything yet because she was about to speak.

"Was Jordan here when you got home?" She asked with sleep still in her voice and rubbing her eyes open, wincing at how they hurt. 

"Yeah, she told me what happened with my mom. I didn't know she pressured you like that, I'm so sorry Tessa. Had I known, I would've said something."

"I'm going to have to tell my mom sooner than later now, but I'm sure your mom took care of that..." Tessa said hesitantly.

"I want to defend my mom right now, but she probably did. Are you okay?" Scott asked her.

"Yeah, it's fine. I think I just needed someone to tell me it was unrealistic to hide this for almost two years. Jordan did a good job of knocking sense into me." 

"I took some time to think too on my walk back to dinner. It's true, I don't know what we were thinking hiding it from our families for 2 years.." Scott admitted.

"We should probably just tell them, that way we don't have to sneak around anymore. It's been a week since we've been home and it's already exhausting. Especially since we're going to hide it from everyone else for the time being." Tessa thought out loud.

"If you want to, I'm good with that. It wouldn't hurt to tell the people that support us the most" Scott made a good point. "I am really sorry about my mom, though." 

"No, it's okay. I realized how silly it was for me to react the way I did. And now that I see where she's coming from, I get it. I would be rooting for us too" Tessa said with a smile creeping back to her face. 

Scott placed his hands on her knees, squeezing and releasing every so often. "You can feel whatever you want, it's okay. And in the moment you were angry. I would have been too" he told her, meeting her smile with his. 

"Well I know that right now, I feel way better that you're finally back. How was dinner?" She asked.

He stood up, crawled over her, causing her to giggle, and planted himself on his side of the bed. "It was good. My brothers are a riot, so this party should be fun. They each brought a few friends, so prepare for a rager" Scott warned her.

"Oh man, that means I need to go to sleep right now. I already know were going to be up till at least 4, maybe later" Tessa said, rolling over to lay down.

Scott took off his shirt and threw it on the floor, settling in next to her. "You're probably spot on with that."

"Thanks, Scott." Tessa said, sighing and sinking into her pillow. 

"For what?" He asked her, nestling his head into her neck.

"Keeping me calm."

"I love you... so much."


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into the crazy party, revealing yet more than they had hoped.

Scott had been running around the farm all day preparing for the huge party he was about to throw. He sent Tessa and Jordan out to do some last minute shopping, handing her over his credit card so she could fill up on booze. It was about to get rowdy.  
Tessa arrived back and Scott, his brothers, and Jordan were all over already helping them spread the drinks out in coolers across the party areas. Tessa and Scott had told Scott's brothers upon their arrival earlier that they were together, figuring they would ease every family member into it when they felt it was a good time. They took it well, again assuming that it was going to happen at one point or another and just like that, they continued on with their day.  
Scott was chopping and collecting firewood, his brothers had gone around rounding up as many lawn chairs as they could find, placing them around the fire pit. Tessa and Jordan were inside setting up food, and making sure each room people could sleep in would be drunk proofed, moving any valuables elsewhere.  
People were starting to arrive as Scott and his brothers had opened their first drink of the night. As people came in, Tessa and Scott would greet their own friends, mingle with each others and talk to anyone and everyone. It made it easier to do as the drinks started to diminish as people kept throwing them back.  
Scott had enlisted the help of one of his more sober friends around 11:30 to start up the bonfire, considering he was on the brink of being gone. Once he had it set up and guests were flocking outside towards the fire, he went back in, hoping to find Tessa.  
She was sitting in the den, sipping on her strongly mixed drink, chatting with some of her friends who she had invited to the party. She didn't see much of Scott all day, and wasn't really expecting to considering this party was huge and he could be anywhere with anyone. She didn't seem to care too much.

Scott slipped into the den after he noticed Tessa when he was about to walk by. "Oh hey guys, just wanted to let you know there is a fire happening outside. Lot's of stuff to make s'mores if you're interested" he said to the group of girls, who were sprawled across the floor laughing and talking with one another.

"Thanks, Scott!" one of Tessa's friends said as she started to stand up, counteracting the effect the liquor was having on her body. 

Tessa was the last one to get up from her group and her friends weren't thinking to wait for her to join them, so they went ahead outside towards the fire. Scott stood by the door, waiting for Tessa to stand up from the floor, but when he noticed it was taking her some time, he went over and offered her a hand. He pulled her up from the door and she immediately crashed into his lips, letting go of what she had been holding in all day. "You were-sooooooo right Sc-Scott. This is roooooowdaaaaaaay" she yelled going up on the last sound of the word.

Scott was buzzed, but not quite drunk yet. "Are you having fun?" he asked her, obviously knowing the answer already.

"Well, I am. But are you having fun? You don't seem drunk? Are you drunk? Here, drink some of this" she slurred as she moved her cup up to his lips, forcing a big swig of her strong liquor into him.

"Well I will be once that kicks in. I missed you, I was coming to look for you, hoping I could snag you away for a minute." Scott said moving his hands up and down her back. 

She started to kiss him on the lips, moved across his jawline, and down towards his neck, as she would do in the bedroom. Her filter was pretty much gone now that she was drunk, she didn't care. "You...smell...nice" she said in between kisses.

"You look beautiful" he said as he gripped onto her hips, trying to keep calm from the feeling Tessa's kisses were making him feel. He felt the liquor Tessa had fed him start to take over when his hands loosened up and he felt lighter on his feet. He started to reciprocate sloppy kisses, forcing Tessa's mouth back to meet his. He reached for the door behind him, shut it and pushed Tessa back into the wall. He started to lift her loose fitting tshirt, following the movement up her stomach with kisses, moving up to the sweet spot on her chest, intending on giving her a hickey. She moaned when he reached the spot, and she let him continue to leave his mark, letting her hands travel everywhere they could reach on his body. A sudden knock on the door forced them away from each other, Tessa readjusting her shirt as Scott combed through his hair with his hands before opening the door. 

"Sorry to.. uh break up.. uh whatever is going on, but people are looking for more booze, where should I send them?" Jordan was shocked seeing Tessa and Scott behind the door looking this messy.

Tessa's face turned bright red and she spoke up from behind Scott. "I mov-moved the coolers to uh.. the guest house! Right, send them down there" she said scratching her head, trying to recollect what she had done with the 4 other coolers earlier.

"Ok thanks!" Jordan said quickly shutting the door and walking away.

"Fuck, that was close" Scott said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe we should save this for later.." Scott suggested looking up at Tessa.

She responded by biting her bottom lip and going into kiss him one more time before she started to walk out the door. "Have another drink, Scott. I'll be out by the fire if you think you can control yourself" she said with a wink and a swig of her drink before turning to open the door and head outside. She met her friends out by the fire, plunking herself across their laps when she couldn't find an open chair and felt it was a good idea to sit down.

Scott gathered himself out of the room after Tessa had left and went searching for something stronger than beer. He found some whiskey in the liquor cupboard that was locked for the night, but he didn't seem to care at this point. He poured himself a generous amount into his cup, and immediately took a swig, and then put the bottle back safely where no one would take it. He winced with every sip, letting it burn his throat on the way down. With every drink, he felt himself slipping farther and farther into a drunken state, now being able to keep up with his brothers, but also Tessa. He stumbled outside, intending on taking part in the bonfire, when his friends pulled him aside to play a massive game of beer pong. He had no idea what he was doing, he just grabbed ping pong balls, threw them to the other side of the table, would take a drink, laugh at himself and his buddies at how stupid they were, and continued to have fun.  
Tessa heard Scott's thunderous laugh coming from the crowd around the beer pong table and decided to get up from the laps of her friends and go over to join him. Almost as if a magnet was drawing her towards him, she found him in the crowd immediately, sneaking behind him and wrapping him in a hug from behind. He wrapped his arms behind him, catching Tessa when she stumbled into him before she croaked out "how do you play this, I want to play!"

"Here it's simple!" Scott said to her handing her a ping pong ball. "You just throw it and get it in the cup and take a drink."

Meanwhile, Scott's friends are yelling at him that he keeps playing it wrong when one of his friends took Tessa's hand and lead her to the other side of the table yelling "Let's see these partners compete against each other for once!" while everyone cheered at the idea. Tessa made her way to the other side of the table, giving him a flirty smile and cocking her hip, hoping to catch him off guard. Instead he decided he would take off his shirt, puff out his chest and flex his muscles, hoping to do the same. 

"Not gonna work, Moir!" she yelled at him from across the table as everyone started to back off. The friend of Scott's that lead her to the side of the table stepped in closer to her explaining the rules, and implementing the king cup. "Holy shit, i'm gonna die. I have terrible hand eye coordination!" Tessa yelled back, but a fully belly laugh followed. 

"Who's got steadier hands?" One friend yelled from the crowd. 

"Tessa can do a lot with those hands... but I don't know about steady" his drunken mind slipped out as everyone in the crown whistled and cheered. 

People were starting to gather around this game, as if it was for an Olympic medal.

"What do I get when I win?" Tessa said with a cocky attitude, pulling her hair back.

"Breakfast in bed" Scott shot back, not really registering he was giving their relationship away one piece at a time, but everyone was drunk so he was hoping it wouldn't stick with anyone. "What do I get?" Scott asked her back.

She just shot him a wink "you'll see later.." So much for hiding what was going on between them. 

They started their game, with Tessa hitting 3 cups in a row, forcing Scott to chug his first 3 turns. He missed all 3 of his first shots, but when his buddies gave him a pep talk, he started to think about his reward later, driving his fuel to win. He shot the next 3 in and the next 2 after a couple misses on each side. 

"Game point" Scott's friend yelled, as both Tessa and Scott geared up for the game point. Scott had sunk his last shot with no problem, causing Tessa to pout a little bit at her loss.

The friend that had been mediating the game asked the opponents to shake hands and show good sportsmanship, and Tessa hung her head as she stuck her hand out to shake his. "Good game" she said with a pouted lip.

"Same to you. Good game" he said with a big smile, shaking her hand firmly.

"Now kiss and make up!" Another person in the crowd yelled. Tessa's head shot up in shock at the request, but her drunken mind didn't stop her from doing so. She leaned in as Scott did, giving him a small peck on the lips, prompting an awe from everyone in the crowd. 

"Back to the party everyone!" Scott yelled to the crowd as they all dispersed and went back to what they were doing before the game. Tessa was still standing next to Scott at the table, waiting for everyone to walk away and other people resuming other conversations.

"Well, I guess we just announced our relationship.." Tessa came to realize, still through the drunk haze that took over her mind.

"Are you good?" he asked her as he took her hand. 

"All good, see you later for your reward..." she said as she let go and went back to her friends at the fire, attempting not to draw much more attention to the situation.

Tessa and Scott went on their own for the rest of the party, with an odd feeling following them for the rest of the night. As predicted, people started falling asleep around four and Tessa was starting to tense up, feeling the liquor make an appearance in a way she was hoping it wouldn't. She went looking for Scott to see if he had crashed yet, but he was more directing traffic, helping people find somewhere to fall asleep in the guest house. 

"Hey, where did you want to sleep? i'm pretty tired and not feeling so hot.." Tessa said to Scott as she made her way next to him, not making much contact.

"Hey you. I locked my room door in the main house attempting to reserve it for us. The key is on my keychain... which I think I left in your purse. I'll meet you there when I get everyone settled" he said to her with a smile. "Or I can come now... you don't look so good" he said, his smile turning to concern. 

"Well, I'm probably going to be throwing up soon, maybe check the bathroom on your way to bed. Get everyone settled, I'll grab Jordan on my way inside" she said, feeling sicker and sicker as she walked away towards the main house again. She caught up with Jordan who was putting the fire out, and Jordan noticed Tessa swaying, trying to catch her balance, looking a little worse for wear. 

"Hey hey hey. Let me help you inside" Jordan caught her as she was about to fall down, helping her down the stairs once Tessa pointed them in the direction of Scott's old room.

"Okay, I'm gonna throw up, clear a bathroom" Tessa warned Jordan as soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs. Jordan placed her on the floor of the bathroom across from Scott's room, grabbing a towel and a cup of water, as Tessa expelled the liquor from her system. Her sister sat with her on the floor for half an hour as waves of nausea came and went. She rotated between wiping her mouth, rubbing her back, and forcing her to drink water and once she didn't make it up to the toilet in time, she was covered in puke. Jordan helped her take off her shirt, revealing her hickey in the crease line of her chest, figuring she would ask about that one later. Scott finally showed up almost an hour later. Tessa had entered half sleep once she was finished puking, and Scott was peering into the doorway of the bathroom. 

"I don't suppose she got the key yet... and she probably needs a new shirt" Scott whispered to Jordan. 

Jordan shook her head and Tessa lifted her head up from resting on her arm once she heard Scott's voice. "I'm so sorry, I'm such a mess, I don't want you to see me like this" Tessa said, as she cried from feeling so gross. 

Scott walked away without saying much as he went to find Tessa's purse to get the key for his room. He went back down, unlocked the room and went to see if he could find a new shirt or anything for Tessa to put on. There was a collection of plain t shirts, so he grabbed whichever one he could find, taking it back into the bathroom, tossing it to Jordan and waiting for them in the doorway, figuring he'd give them their space. Jordan finally convinced Tessa to stand up and move over to bed, and with Scott on the other side of her, he helped lead them into the bedroom. They placed her down in the bed and she immediately started shivering, prompting Scott to take off the hoodie he was wearing.

"I got this Jordan, thank's for looking after her" he said with a strong smile. Jordan smiled back and leaned in and gave Tessa a kiss on the forehead.

"Just call me if you need me, I'll sleep on the couch down here" Jordan said as she closed the door to the room, leaving Tessa and Scott alone. 

"Babe, let's put this on, your shivering" he said in a soothing voice as he showed her the hoodie and helped her get it on.

"Please don't leave me tonight" Tessa said as she started to lie down.

"No way I would" Scott said reassuring her as he went to lay down beside her, rubbing her back. "Let me know if you need anything and I can get Jordan to grab it for you" he whispered int her ear as he continued to caress her back from behind her. 

"Just keep rubbing my back, it's calming me down" she said, as she slipped into sleep.

Scott did what he was told until he had fallen asleep next to her. Tessa did not move in her sleep at all, considering the fact she was usually restless, Scott was concerned when he woke up a couple hours later to see her curled up in the same spot. He placed his hand on her stomach, just to make sure she was breathing, which she was. So he eased his mind and fell back asleep next to her.  
Once all the guests woke up, they left, catching the rest of their sleep in their own homes. Jordan had stuck around, same with Scott's brothers once the group of them decided they would have brunch together in the morning. But morning had come and gone and it was 2 in the afternoon, when Tessa woke up from her slumber to the smell of french toast coming from the kitchen. She got up carefully, not wanting to wake Scott, and went to see Jordan still sleeping on the couch in the basement. Tessa couldn't be bothered with the smell of food at the moment considering she reaked of puke, so she went back to her room, finding her bag that somehow made it down to the room during the night, grabbed some fresh clothes and went to the shower. The bathroom had been cleaned from the mess she made earlier in the morning, but the thought never crossed her mind as to who did it. She was more concerned about cleaning herself up, so that is what she did.  
Scott woke up to the noise of the shower running across the hall, figuring it was Tessa when he woke up to see her missing from bed. He sat up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and checked the time on his phone. 2:15pm. Rough night. He caught a wiff of french toast, remembering that they had agreed to brunch with their siblings, so he assumed it was Jordan getting a head start on making everything. He got up from bed and went into the main room of the basement, only to see Jordan fast asleep on the couch. Who was making them breakfast. Surely it wasn't his brothers because the room next to his was shared by them, one having to take the floor, but both were still sleeping. He went back into his room, looked in the mirror that hung on the door, and noticed the hickey in between his neck and shoulder. He touched it, causing him to say ouch out loud, meaning it was fresh. He found another hoodie in the back of the closet and slipped it on before making his way upstairs to solve the mystery of who was making them breakfast.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one covers a lot of time and does a lot of story telling. Hope it isn't too confusing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm hitting close to the end of this series. It has been an absolute pleasure and I look forward to writing more fics. Thank you everyone so much that has stuck with this and read all of it. Still have a few more chapters though. :)

Tessa got out of the shower, feeling more like herself. She couldn’t help but smell all of the different breakfast smells coming from the kitchen. She had finally started to think critically, wondering who had been cooking. Scott was still in bed when she first smelt it, Jordan was passed out on the couch, and Kevin and Casey were still fast asleep in the room down the hall and that was 15 minutes ago. She threw on the clothes that she took from her bag, realizing the shirt she was wearing was Scott’s. She didn’t care and was sure he wouldn’t either. She tucked the corner into her sweatpants, towel dried her hair quickly before throwing it up into a bun on top of her head. She made her way upstairs to see Scott sitting on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, chatting with Kate and Alma who were the culprits of the breakfast mystery.

 

“Good morning Tessa, we thought you guys might be hungry!” Kate said enthusiastically.

“Oh, hi mom” Tessa said confused as she shot Scott a look that said what are they doing here, as she went over to give her mom a hug.

“How was the party?” Alma asked her.

“Really fun, we all were up super late though” Tessa said to Alma, still holding onto her mom.

Her mom had noticed that she was wearing Scott's shirt once she latched on for a hug. The scent wasn't Tessa, but it was familiar. Kate looked over at Scott while she was still holding her daughter and gave him a smile as Alma continued. 

“Sound’s like you guys had fun” Alma said.

This caught Tessa a little by surprise. “Oh was Scott telling you about it?” she said as she let go of her mom and poured herself a cup of coffee and went to sit in the seat next to Scott. 

“Well, yes… but I did see some of it” Alma admitted.

“Wait, what?” Tessa and Scott said simultaneously. “I thought you were in Toronto yesterday?” Scott questioned his mom.

“Nah I figured it was too far, so Kate and I spent the day together instead” she said smiling at both of them.

“Wait, so how did you see the party?” Tessa continued to ask.

“We stopped by at about 1, but everyone was outside so no one noticed we were around” Kate said as Jordan emerged from the basement.

“Morning, Jord” Kate said.

“Hey mom” she said out of habit. “Wait..mom? What are you doing here?” Jordan was just as confused as Tessa and Scott.

“She was just telling us about how they were spying on us last night” Scott told Jordan. 

“Oh really?” Jordan asked.

“We came over to see if anyone needed anything, but you were all too busy gathered around a pretty big beer pong game, so we figured we would leave” Kate explained. 

Tessa and Scott looked at each other, looking at Jordan, all silently agreeing they wouldn’t mention anything about the game. They entered into an awkward laugh, moving on from the game and talking about what Kate and Alma did during the day, which ended up being boring adult stuff, but a night finished with a glass of wine. Classic. Eventually the three of them were served their very late breakfast and Kevin and Casey came upstairs just in time to eat. They sat around the table mostly in silence, scarfing down what was now considered lunch. Kate and Alma sat in the living room, letting them eat together. 

“We showed up at a good time” Alma said to Kate softly so no one could hear them.

“We sure did.”

The next morning, Tessa was feeling a little more rested when she had to wake up early to get to the skating lesson she promised Alma she would help out with. Waking Scott up was a harder task. He didn’t want to move, so Tessa did what she knew would motivate him. 

“Babe, get up” Tessa whined at Scott once she was already up and dressed.

“Nooooooo” Scott whined right back.

“Okay that’s fine, I’ll just tell your mom-”

“No! Okay, I’m up!” he said shooting up from laying down.

Tessa giggled because she didn’t even get to finish her thought. He might have known what she was going to say, but maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. He got up from bed, threw a hoodie on and some comfy pants to skate in. Tessa was downstairs getting her bag together before she noticed Scott follow her down. 

“I made you toast. It’s on the counter. There’s also chocolate milk in the fridge” Tessa said to Scott as she was putting her jacket on.

“I love you” Scott said back as he approached the toast and took a bite. He took a chocolate milk from the fridge, grabbed his jacket and bag and they headed out the door.   
Scott was sitting in the passengers seat of Tessa’s car, as Tessa was starting the car. A thought popped into his head. 

“Wait…” Scott said, halting Tessa from putting the car in reverse. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Tessa asked him, concerned.

“You haven’t even kissed me good morning yet” Scott said, giving her a smug look. 

“Oh, Scott” Tessa said as she let out the breath she was holding. “I thought it was something serious.”

“It is serious! This is a real problem” he said, very sternly as Tessa couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Good morning” Tessa said to him, annunciating each syllable and leaned in to give him a kiss.

“Thank you, I feel better now, continue on” Scott said to her once he reciprocated the kiss. 

Tessa rolled her eyes at him with a dopey smile on her face and continued to drive them to the rink. Tessa was teamed up with a novice team who were having some trouble connecting to their music, while Scott was with a junior team who couldn’t figure out their no touch mid line step sequence. Both very fitting task’s for each of them to excel at. They worked with the teams for a couple hours before the lesson was over. They met up with Alma after the lesson, talking about how excited they were to come back every Sunday because they were now invested in the teams that only had a short amount of time to make a mark on them. They left the rink, feeling satisfied with the work they put in that morning, already thinking of the plan for next Sunday when they would get to work with them again. 

 

“I’m so excited to skate again. That was amazing” Tessa admitted once she plopped herself into bed later that night.

“Me too, I’m excited for what comes after skating” Scott said, crawling in next to her. “I think I want to coach.” 

“You should, babe. You’re really good with them” Tessa told him. 

"I would be even better if I had some artistic help" he kissed her cheek and they settled into sleep.

"We could be like the next Marie France and Patrice" Tessa mumbled before sleep fully engulfed her. 

 

 

The day had finally come. They signed the lease on their place in Montreal. They were moving after the Christmas holidays were over, so they planned to spend as much time with their families as they could. All of the siblings were back in town for the annual Virtue and Moir Christmas eve dinner that was happening later in the day. Tessa was finding it hard to get excited for their family tradition, because she had been too busy strategically packing up their house in London. They had to decide on what was necessary to take with them, and what they could leave in storage for when they finished leasing this house to someone else during their time away.

 

“Should we take the bedding? Or just get some new stuff?” Tessa asked Scott as she stared at the bed, contemplating what do with most of the items in their room.

“Take it. It’s got a good story. I want to use that one till it is no longer usable” Scott said with certainty and a smile. 

“Okay, then I will set a box aside for it” Tessa said back to him with a smile. “I’m really glad we found a place that was furnished already. Then we can leave this stuff here and come back to it after. It’s great” Tessa said with a sigh as she sat down on the bed, taking a break from the packing. 

“Tired already?” Scott asked her from across the room. He was sitting on the floor, wrapping decorations in paper, gently putting them in a box.

“I’m ready to leave… but I’m not, you know?” she asked him as she sighed.

“Yeah” he said as he got up from the floor and went to lay down next to where she was sitting. He started rubbing her back and she turned her head to look at him. 

“The last 4 months here have been so good, I never wanted it to end” Tessa said in a low tone to Scott. 

“Nothing is ending, Tess. It’s just going to continue somewhere else” he said optimistically as he took his hand away from her back to hold her hand. “And besides, it shouldn’t be hard to pick up where we left off here” he said with a smirk as he leaned in to capture her with a kiss. They stayed in bed for a little while, just kissing and taking in the familiarity of the situation they would soon have to let go of. 

“Do we really have to go to this party?” Scott asked her.

“I was going to ask the same thing.” Tessa started. “But I suppose it would look weird if the reason this tradition was started in the first place, didn’t show up?” she made a good point. 

“I guess you’re right” he huffed as he leaned in to kiss her again, finally getting up. “Dress code is classy? Of course it is, it hasn’t changed in 15 years” Scott answered his own question. 

“Why can’t our parents change it to a pajama party? Now that would give me motivation to go, instead of having to put in so much effort to look nice for my family” Tessa pondered, still laying down. 

 

Scott dug into the closet, looking for the same suit he wore to everything he needed a suit for. He would just change the shirt or tie up each time, giving the illusion it was different. “White shirt probably, red tie? green tie?” he was talking half to Tessa, half to himself. 

“Are we going to match? Or just do our own thing?” Tessa asked him.

“I think everyone is assuming were going to match, better not disappoint the fans” Scott said sarcastically, referring to their families. 

“Well, I’ll put my dress on, and then we can pick what matches best” Tessa concluded, finally getting up from the bed, making her way past Scott and into the back of the closet to the dress bag she had yet to open. She walked into the bathroom to put her dress on, wanting to see if she would get a reaction from Scott when he saw her in the dress. She came out a couple minutes later, in an emerald green, below the knee, figure hugging dress. With a high neck, perfect for a statement necklace, and longs sleeves, it was the perfect dress for the holiday occasion. 

 

“Fuck..” Scott muttered under his breath once Tessa opened the bathroom door.

“That bad?” she joked with him.

“I want to rip it off” he said with a smirk, trying to keep his comments PG.

“You can do whatever you want with it when we get back later… " she winked at him then returned to a serious note. "do you think it’s good for the party?"

“No one will be able to top you. You’re so beautiful, Tessa” he said, completely entranced by her beauty.

She walked over to him, got up on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I don’t even have makeup on yet” she said to him blushing.

“If it was up to me, I would say ditch the makeup” Scott told her. 

 

He continued to take in her beauty as she helped him look through his ties, finding a nice dark grey one that went well with the suit and her dress. “This one” she said. “Not too matchy matchy, but goes together nicely.” 

 

They both continued to get ready for their evening gathering. They made their way over to the Moir’s farm, arriving to a party that was already in full swing. 50 relatives including grandparents, nieces, nephews, cousins, children, aunts, uncles and everyone else, coming from both sides, mingling and catching up with one another, all eventually greeting them when they arrived. They were kept very busy throughout the night, catching up with all of their relatives, they both had almost forgot they had to make the announcement to everyone that they were moving out to Montreal in a couple weeks to start training. Obviously their close family members knew, but more distance relatives were not as in the loop. The announcement came after everyone had sat down for dinner. It went very easily. Everyone was happy but not surprised to hear the news of their comeback. The shock came from the fact that they would be moving to Montreal soon, and together, causing everyone’s minds to go to the place of assuming their relationship. They never addressed the relationship question, figuring it would reveal itself at the new years party that would be hosted a week later. 

 

 

The new years party involved more friends, but cousins and siblings came too. This one was at the Virtue’s house, due to the smaller party and the smaller house. A more intimate setting felt more appropriate for everyone to bring their boyfriends and girlfriends to share their new years kisses with. The party was fun, very chill, and just a time to enjoy with their friends and family before they moved. The tv program they were watching started counting down to midnight. Tessa was sitting with some of her friends in one corner of the room, discussing who they would all be kissing. Tessa purposefully left herself to the end so she would get out of answering it, claiming she needed to go find her kiss before midnight. Scott was chatting with his buddies before he heard commotion coming from the living room, meaning it was close to midnight. Tessa caught his eye as she was walking in his direction, looking for him. 

 

“There you are” she said exasperated. “We have like 20 seconds, lets go” she said as she took his wrist and she started walking. 

“Where are we going?” he asked her, but followed her lead.

 

She lead them out to the back porch even though it was freezing cold outside. She made sure she was watching the tv through the window so she wouldn’t miss midnight. She leaned in close to him, begging for his warmth as she started to count down “7.6.5.4.3…” when she looked up at him, and two seconds later, the smile that was ever so Tessa took over her face, and the glisten in her eye made her catch the light like a diamond. She reached up, snaking her arms around his neck, encapturing his lips. They had a good long kiss, one worthy of remembering forever. 

“Happy new years, babe. I can’t wait to see what this year brings us” Scott said softly against her lips as they curved into a smile to match hers. 

“Happy new year” she said back softly, bringing him in for another kiss.

They went back inside to join the party, mixing their way back into the group gathered in the living room, discussing their kisses. Everyone knew at this point that they were more than skating partners, and were all very respectful, not asking too many questions, but just the normal amount friends would discuss. 

“So Tess, how was your kiss?” one of her friends asked as she rejoined the group she was with before.

“Perfect” she said simply. She noticed Jordan giving her the most sincere smile from across the group, easily reciprocating it, due to the fact that Scott could have her smiling for days. 

As Tessa and Scott were about to leave the party, Tessa had to say goodbye to Jordan, not knowing for sure when she would see her next. 

“I’ll be right back” she said to Scott as he waited by the front door for her.

Tessa went to find Jordan, who was in the kitchen chatting with her boyfriend. Jordan saw her walk in and she immediately dropped her conversation with her boyfriend, taking to Tessa in a huge embrace. They shed tears, and laughs that they were crying. 

“I miss you already, little one” Jordan said to Tessa, wiping a tear from under Tessa’s eye. “I’m so happy for you. I can see how happy you are” she said smiling down at her sister.

“I love you Jord” Tessa said, bringing her in for another hug. 

Jordan saw Scott peer in the room from over Tessa's shoulder. She let go of her embrace with Tessa and went to take Scott in one. "You take care of her out in Montreal. You have to be her boyfriend, skating partner, and sometimes you might have to be me" she said with a small laugh before hugging him tighter. 

"Don't worry, Jordan. I've got her."

 

Scott drove them home from the party and Tessa walked into their empty house, feeling empty but full at the same time. Everything was unfamiliar around her, except for Scott. The thought of moving somewhere knew always exited her, but she couldn't help but think about how hard it was to make this decision in the first place, wondering if it was still the right one. She didn’t say much the whole ride home, but Scott figured it was because she was tired and something else. He didn't push it. That was the nice thing about their relationship. He wouldn't push to hard, and she would open up when she was ready. As he was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, Tessa was changing into a hoodie. She still slept with no pants on, no matter how cold outside it was. She didn’t bother with her nighttime routine, she just crawled under the covers, which triggered a worried response from Scott. He didn’t say anything, but he got into bed next to her, not touching her yet, waiting to see if it was what she wanted or needed. 

“I miss them all already” she said quietly, facing away from Scott.

“I do too” he said back.

“At least I have you.”

He accepted this as her offer for him to wrap his arms around her fragile body, pressing kisses to her cheeks and forehead. She couldn’t help her tears from falling once she was in his arms, so she cried into his chest, eventually falling asleep, still in the protection of his arms.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa isn't sure what to think about the move. Scott is the best person to help her through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more story telling, some more dialogue. Enjoy 22!

The day had come where they would make their move to the next province over. Scott and Tessa didn’t sleep much the night before. The anxiety of the move forced Tessa away from any peaceful thoughts that would usually help her fall asleep. Scott had woken up a few times in the night to a shaking Tessa, trying to calm her back down to a state where he could hold her and softly sing little rhythms into her ear that did the trick for a little while, until the next panic attack awoke her again.

“It’s okay, I’m here” Scott started every attack with these words. This one was at about 3:30 am. It was already the fourth one since 11 pm. Tessa didn’t cry, she just shook, almost as if she was shivering, but she wasn’t cold, she was sweating. He would start by rubbing her back, and eventually sit up to meet her in a sitting position, and press his entire body to hers. “Shhh” he would continue as he stroked her hair and ran his fingers up and down her back. He had to admit he was half asleep for this one, considering he wasn’t sleeping much because of these, but he felt so bad for Tessa. Her anxiety before competitions hadn’t been this bad since before their senior debut. He was a little rusty with situations considering it had been so long since the last time, but he did what he felt was right. It would be a couple minutes before the shaking subsided but Scott’s hold of her never loosened. He was too afraid to let her go.

“Thank you” she would whisper as she sunk back into his chest and fell into a state of half sleep. He would just as quickly sink back into the bed, sleeping again almost immediately.

The anxiety attacks seemed to hold to four, giving Scott some time to rest until about 8 when he woke up for the day. He and Tessa decided a few days prior to the move that they were going to have sex one last time in this house before they left, but he figured that was probably unlikely, considering the night Tessa just had, and that was okay. Tessa was his only concern. She woke up not long after Scott when she felt him start to shift. A familiar sign that he was awake, triggering her to wake up as well.

Scott felt Tessa stretch against him. “Babe..” he whispered. “How are you feeling?”

She continued to stretch out before she rolled over to face him. “I’m okay, I’m sorry I kept you awake” she said, curling into his chest, trying to show her apology.

“You don’t have to apologize” he said to her as he placed a few kisses on top of her head. They were caught up in a comfortable silence before Scott suggested they get up and finish packing so they could get going as quickly a possible. Tessa had completely forgotten about their agreement of sex a few days prior and got out of bed at his suggestion. She finished packing the things she needed to pack after she got dressed in a hoodie and sweats, comfy driving clothes. Scott went on to pack up his own things, and make them snacks and lunches for the road. Tessa brought out the last of her bags into the kitchen to meet Scott, who was still prepping food.

“I’m going to go start packing” Tessa said to him, still holding the bags in her hands.

Scott put down the knife he was using to cut their sandwiches and walked up to her. He took the bags out of her hands and set them on the floor. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked with concern. He was rubbing her arms gently before reaching down for her hands. “You’re awfully quiet this morning” he let out.

“I’m not okay, but I will be. I’m tired. I’m sad. I don’t know, I’m lots of things right now” she admitted, looking down at their hands, fingers dancing with each others in a soft and slow pattern that only the two of them could continue.

He pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her waist, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist and bury her face into his neck. He turned and set her down on the counter, pulling away from their embrace, but still holding onto her. “It's a lot to take in all at once” he told her simply. “We’re going to find the good in this move, and then in a few years we’re going to come back to our home here with a new level added to our relationship and maybe a bonus of some new hardware around our necks and think about how it was all worth it. Deal?”

“How do you do this?” Tessa asked him as she absentmindedly started to play with tufts of his hair.

“Do what?” Scott asked.

“Make me feel so much better” she said with a small smile.

“Moir magic, I tell you.” He always had to crack a joke.

They had another small conversation and shared a few kisses while Tessa was still on the counter top. She eventually got down from the counter and made her way to the garage to get all of the boxes she was taking, packed into her car. Scott finished up prepping snacks which was ultimately emptying out their fridge. They were read to go, but they needed to see a few people first.

Scott packed the last couple bags into the trunk of his car and was finally ready to hit the road to their new home in Montreal. Both Tessa and Scott’s parents had come over to watch them out. They bid their parents goodbye in Tessa’s driveway with hugs, kisses and tears, then switching to each others parents but were just a second set of their own. They said a quick sentiment of drive safe to each other, sealing it with a quick kiss, trying not to make it a big deal in front of their parents and headed to their separate cars. They waved goodbye as they pulled away and got on the highway, Scott following Tessa the entire way to Montreal. They vowed not to stop on the way, having many snacks and drinks prepared for the occasion.   
Seven hours later, they were pulling into the parking lot of their new condo complex in a nice suburb of Montreal. Both Tessa and Scott called their parents to confirm they made it there safe and would call them later once they got settled in. They met the landlord in the parking lot, received keys, and headed up to their new place. Six floors up with an amazing view of the city, they were in their new place. Tessa and Scott stood in the doorway for a minute, deciding if they were   
utterly exhausted or just a little delirious and examining every inch of the fully furnished flat they could from the spot where they were standing.

“Hmm” Tessa pondered as she continued to look around.

“What do you think?” Scott piped up.

“It’s nice…”

“It is…”

“Something is missing” Tessa decided.

“Agreed. What do you think is missing?” Scott was curious.

“I don’t think it’s an object, I think it’s a feeling” Tessa continued to think about their new place.

Scott didn’t say anything, he just nodded in agreement. They stood in silence for a minute. "It's still really early I guess..." Scott said, before walking out the door and into the hallway.

“Where are you going?” Tessa called out into the hallway.

“I’m gonna figure out what’s missing!” Scott called back as he continued down the hallway to the elevator. He wanted to do anything he could to make Tessa feel more at home.

Tessa followed him out all the way to his car. “It’s not personal enough, but we can fix that” Scott said, grabbing a couple boxes, hoping Tessa would do the same. She went to her car and followed Scott’s lead, taking two boxes from the trunk and going back up. Tessa strategically grabbed the box that had their bed sheets and a couple photos in it. She took it straight to the bedroom, seeing a queen size bed, completely stripped of anything, just a bare mattress in a bed frame. She started to unpack the box and make the bed, and turned towards where she thought Scott was.

“Can yo-” she started before she stopped herself, realizing he wasn’t where he was before. She went back out into the main room. She noticed he was unpacking the box of little decorations they had in their London home, finding places on shelves to set them down. This place had a book case so there was a lot of room for all of it. “Hey, sorry to bug you, but can you help me?” she asked him quietly.

“Of course” he said turning around to face her from across the room. He moved towards her as he continued. “What’s up?”

“Come” she said softly as she took his hand and lead him into the bedroom down the hall.

Scott liked where this was going, if it was going in the direction he thought it would be. She had finally led him all the way into the bedroom, and he noticed the box with the bed sheets opened, but untouched.

“Can you help me get the sheets on? I want to be able to have a blanket to sleep with tonight” Tessa said as she looked up to him.

“What? Am I not enough warmth as it is?” Scott joked with her.

“Not if your naked..” Tessa said as she bit her lip, and walked over to the box to find the fitted sheet.

“What makes you think I’m going to be naked?” Scott wanted to see if she would spill her dirty thoughts.

“Well, I remembered what you said when you first moved into my place about really making a place your own by having sex in it, so i hope you’re up for that” she said as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, bent over seductively to grab the sheet out the box, leaving her behind in full sight, with the sexy grin on her face.

“How fast can we get this sheet on?” Scott asked as he raced over to help her get the sheet on as Tessa’s giggle fit ensued.

Not even five minutes later, they were completely naked in their newly made bed, that wasn’t so made anymore. Unpacking did not become a priority to Scott when Tessa decided to tease him to the point of no return. The sheets were pushed to the end of the bed as quickly as they were put on. Both Tessa and Scott took turns pleasuring each other, making the most out of their first time in their new place. They would go for a bit, take a break, move to a different room and continue. Just to make sure they really christened the entire house. Once they had made their rounds, they finally were back in bed, Scott pulled the sheet that started this whole thing to cover them up. 

“Wait” Tessa said after she realized she was already comfortable in bed. 

“What?” Scott asked her looking puzzled. She scooted her way out of bed and back over to the box, still full with the navy blue comforter. She pulled it out of the box, partially wrapping her naked body in it as she walked back over to bed with a cheeky smile. She slumped down back into bed, a grinning Scott next to her, as she unwrapped herself from the blanket and covered them both up. They stayed in the same position, still awake for a couple hours. Scot was running his fingers up and down Tessa’s torso, sometimes moving higher, sometimes lower. Tessa was pressed against Scott, taking in the gaze his brown eyes gave off without having to say anything at all. As if they were smiling down on her, even though his mouth may not be doing the same thing. He spent the time, studying her every feature in a way so intimately he never had a chance to before. He would notice how her freckles would line up, making different patterns. But it was one of those things you would have to look very intently at to notice. The way her eyes creased when she smiled the slightest bit and how her whole face would lift up when he would raise his eyebrows at her. Silent conversations were happening, along with vocalized ones. Mostly whispers of affection into her hair and his neck. When they actually talked it was either about unpacking or how they should be going to sleep, neither of which was happening. Scott finally gave in and felt himself doze off. He slowly fell asleep, still smiling at Tessa. She was thinking to herself as to how she got so lucky with someone like Scott, until she joined him finally sleeping.  
The Montreal sun shone through the curtains the next morning, seeping into any holes it could find. One whole happened to be where Tessa’s eye was, forcing her to squint and eventually shift her way out of Scott’s embrace. She wiggled out of bed, found a sweat shirt and her underwear, got dressed, and went over to the window, peeping the curtain open slightly in order to take a look the winter morning while still giving Scott darkness to sleep. There was not much to look at today, every building had been covered with a fresh blanket of snow, so she shut the curtain and slowly opened the bedroom door and closed it behind her as she exited the bedroom. By force of habit, she went into the kitchen to make coffee, but they had yet to unpack the coffee machine, and they didn't have a chance to go to the grocery store yet, so Tessa slumped back to the bedroom to announce this travesty. 

She opened the door and stood in the doorway. "Scott" she said in a regular pitched voice. "Scott" this one was louder. Scott started to shuffle but he didn't wake up. "Scott!" this one was finally almost at a yell.

"What?" he said with a hoarse morning voice, flipping over onto his back, wiping the sleep from his eyes and stretching. 

"This is an emergency" Tessa said impatiently. 

"Wait, what?" Scott shot up from laying down, locating Tessa standing by the door. "What emergency?" he asked her when he finally saw her standing by the door.

"There's no coffee.." Tessa said sheepishly, hoping he wouldn't be too mad that she woke him up for this. 

Scott let out a groan and fell back into a laying position. "That is an emergency" he said with a long and over exaggerated sigh. 

Tessa started walking back over to the bed and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. 

"Why did you wake me up if there is no coffee?" Scott asked her, meeting her eyes.

A cheeky grin came over Tessa's face. "I love you..." she whispered as she found his hand and started playing with it. 

"You want me to go get us some?" Scott assumed that was what she was going to get and when she nodded a little, he shot her a look. "I guess we will have to get some" Scott implied.

"Yay!" Tessa squealed as Scott sat up and kissed her good morning. He got up and got dressed in whatever he could find in the top of one of his suitcases that was just sitting on the floor. "Are you going to get dressed?" Scott quizzed Tessa, as she was still sitting on the bed just watching him get ready.

"Well... I was hoping you would do one of those really cute boyfriend things and go to the cafe down the street and get coffee and breakfast and bring it back.." Tessa started to imagine the perfect situation she was vocalizing. 

"So what's in it for me?" Scott thought he would tease her a bit, even though he was going to do it anyways.

"Well, coffee, breakfast, and a happy girlfriend" she said smiling at him.

"I guess so" Scott said with a sarcastic sigh. Tessa squealed with satisfaction as he went back over to the bed and pushed her into the mattress, kissing her a few times before he went to go bundle up to leave. "You realize how much work this is right?" he made her think as he put his boots, jacket, toque, and gloves on.

She watched him get ready to head out into the harsh winter morning. "It's for a good cause" she added with a giggle.

He melted every time he heard that laugh, making it all worth it. "I guess I'll be back" he said with a shrug. 

"I'll be here" she said through the smile that hasn't left her face for a minute. She gave him one more kiss before he left.

 

Tessa spent her time watching TV, trying to figure out which channel corresponded with which station, making mental notes of the channels they would use the most. Half an hour later, Scott returned with coffee and food. Tessa was so excited to get the coffee, she took it from his hand and took a sip, almost instantly waking up a little more. Scott got undressed, from his winter attire and joined her on the couch as they ate their breakfast and drank their coffee. Tessa was flipping through the channels again, showing Scott what she had discovered the first time she did it. They finished up their breakfast and got back to unpacking from when they were so rudely disrupted by sexual desires the previous night. The afternoon flew by as they got most of the unpacking done. They organized their closet and dresser, got everything in the bathroom set up, hung pictures, decorated the side tables and dresser in the bedroom and found the coffee machine. They spent the evening doing a massive grocery haul after they checked the weather and realized the snow was only going to continue to pile up overnight, making roads less than favorable in the morning. They picked up dinner already made and sat down to eat when they got home. 

"Feeling better yet?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, today was good. It felt more normal than I thought it would which was a nice surprise" Tessa said between bites of her dinner. 

"That's good." 

"How do you feel?" She asked him back.

"Good. Really good. Didn't think I was a big city guy, but this doesn't seem so bad" he replied. 

"Good. I'm glad" Tessa finished as she continued to eat.

They finished dinner and continued to unpack groceries. They found places to put away their kitchen hardware, trying to put it all in a similar configuration like it was in Tessa's London house just to make it easier to find. They finally had a bunch of empty boxes piled up by the front door, making the day very successful.

"So I guess this is it. We're moved in. And it only took a day..." Tessa brought up as they were sitting on the couch eating dessert. 

"Welcome home, babe" Scott said with a smile. 

They continued to talk for an hour before Tessa let out a huge yawn. 

"We can go to bed, we have our whole lives to talk" Scott mentioned.

"I was hoping to have a shower before bed, you know, test out the new space..." Tessa said, smirking again. 

"Is that an invitation?" Scott asked her with the look in tow.

She gave a little one shoulder shrug, got up from the couch and put her plate in the sink. She turned to look at Scott who was now standing, waiting for his invitation. She gave her head a little nod and went down the hallway towards their bathroom. Scott was not far behind her, ultimately picking her up around her waist from behind, carrying her the rest of the way to the shower.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything they had seemed to worry about in the past about moving slowly and not overstepping boundaries had been thrown out the window. The feelings they had been suppressing for so long had finally caught up to them what seemed to be all at once, making the 20 years of working at this relationship that much more rewarding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge jump in time all the way to the thick of last season. Christmas of 2016 is about where this is set and then a very quick jump to right about now. This is the end... Thank you all for sticking with this. Let me know how you felt about this series, it has been so fun! :)

Home for the holidays. Finally.  
Over the past year Tessa and Scott have made trips home every once in a while, Tessa mostly travelling in the summer to the cottage, and Scott would tag along but usually opt out of the weekend retreat for time at home with his brothers, friends and parents. He and his uncle were kicking of a family owned skate shop, so he had time to plan and help set that up. Tessa enjoyed her weekends of rest with her mom, sister, and sometimes some friends at the cottage. Every so often, Scott would spend a day at the cottage if Jordan's boyfriend joined too, just so he wasn't the odd one out, but it was a short drive anyways, and any time spent with Tessa was time well spent.  
But now it's Christmas and they get to go home for a whole week and see their families all together for the first time in a long time. They did just have their mom's join them at GPF but the fact they get to see everyone so soon is all too consuming. 

"Tess, you know we don't leave for another two days, right?" Scott asked her as he was sitting in bed, flipping through TV channels, watching her pack her suitcase. 

"Do you not know me at all?" she stopped in her tracks, cocking her hip and tilting her head, giving him an as if attitude. 

"Well, I would hope I know you a little bit. I know you like to be packed early, but we're only going home" he said to her, trying to recover. 

"I know" she let out a sigh. "I'm just so excited to go home I can't help it! I would go sooner if I could" she said anxiously. 

"I would too. One more day, babe, that's all" he said softly as he held his hands out to her, inviting her to join him in bed. 

"One more day" she said as she took his hand and sank into her side of the bed next to him.

 

They had a strong last day of training at Gadbois before they were dismissed for their Christmas holiday. Both feeling tired but satisfied with the last couple days they put into their training, tweaking and growing programs since GPF ended a couple weeks ago.  
It was Christmas Eve, mid morning, and they were boarding their flight to London. The annual Virtue/ Moir Christmas Eve dinner was on again later that night, only bringing back memories to the party that happened the year before. 

"Isn't it strange how things work out?" Scott brought up the very vague statement to Tessa, causing her to peel her eyes away from the book she was enjoying. 

"What do you mean?" she inquired into his question, giving him a soft smile. 

"Well, for example, right now we're on a plane home to our Christmas Eve dinner that never would've been a thing if that one day 19 ish years ago never happened" Scott was getting deep.

"You're right..." Tessa was waiting for him to continue. 

"And I think about how many dinners we've had in the past, like 12 now?" he asked as Tessa nodded her head, affirming his guess. "It's just... I don't know what I'm trying to get at" Scott concluded, frustrated that his point didn't get very far. 

"It's like we've come full circle" Tessa finished his thought for him as she fully set her book down. 

"Yeah, it's like we have come full circle. We started as little kids, innocent and not know where this was going to go, and well... here we are 12 years later..knowing exactly where were going" he said as he went to hold her hand.

"12 years is a long time, Scott. Are you happy with how it's gone so far?" She asked him, trying to help him out get more of his point across. 

"I mean, if I could have manned up a little sooner that would have been nice, but now I couldn't be happier" he said softly as he turned his head to face hers. 

"Me too" she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "So are we doing the full couple thing tonight? I guess some of our family doesn't know the full extent of our relationship yet.." Tessa said as she bit her lip.

"I don't think I could hide it anymore. I've spent the last year with you without having to hide it, so that would be an impossible task now" Scott told her. 

"I guess that answers that then."

"What dress do you think you'll wear? Just so I can match accordingly" Scott inquired.

"Sounds awfully like a conversation we had last year-"

"Yes but last year we were just trying to go together, not necessarily match" Scott pointed out.

"Point made. I think probably just the black one, not feeling the whole color thing this time around. Maybe a nice red lipstick instead.." Tessa said, trying to spark his interest.

"A red lipstick, eh? So are we going to get through dinner or...?"

"Relax, babe, you'll be fine" Tessa said playfully.

The plane landed in London and deja vu set in one more time. A very similar situation of Kate making her way to the airport to pick up Tessa and Scott, while Alma was busy getting prepared for the party. They decided that they would get ready at Kate's house, considering Tessa and Scott were still renting out their house in London. Jordan (and her boyfriend), Kevin (and his wife), Casey (and his wife) and all of the kids were at the Virtue house when they arrived, making it a nice warm welcome home for Tessa and Scott. Even though he was looking forward to seeing his own brothers, he really enjoyed every time he got to see his second set of siblings. They all got ready together, indulging in pre party glasses of wine, almost as if they were having a four way date as the kids were playing in the other room. Everyone was dressed and ready to go as the men helped their ladies down the snow covered driveway in their heels into a couple of cars that would take them to the Moir farm.  
For the first time in 12 dinners, Tessa and Scott her happy to be walking into the house holding hands. No one seemed to question it, as if they had known this would've happened at some point, or if Scott's immediate family had filled the more extended family in on their relationship status. This was the case the whole night. They would stand and talk to guests together, arms around each others waist, and no one would ask. They just smiled when they noticed and Tessa and Scott would smile back. As if it was meant to happen. After they had finished dinner, it was time for the little kids to open one gift from Santa who was a relative that dressed up every year and made a quick ten minute appearance. Everyone was gathered in the living room, watching the kids interact with "Santa", finally giving Tessa and Scott some time to talk quietly in the back to each other. Standing behind one of the couches, and slowly moving back, letting everyone who wanted to get a better look move in closer, Scott had his arm around Tessa's waist. Tessa was watching and smiling at the excitement on her nieces face when she saw "Santa" and got to open her gift, when Scott interrupted her happiness.

"I'm upset I don't get to stay with you tonight" he leaned all the way into her head, letting his lips graze her ear as he whispered. He let his forehead rest on the side of her head as he waited for a response. 

"Just one night, we can do this" Tessa said reassuring him.

"Pffft yeah, one night. No problem" Scott flung his head back, trying not to make a big deal of it in a typical Scott fashion. "We do spend every night together, no big deal" he continued, trying to justify his feelings. 

"Scott..." Tessa said softly turning to face him. She took his hand off of her back and moved it into her hand."It's okay to upset about it, I'm so used to sleeping with you nearby, it's going to be had for me too" she said, trying to affirm his feelings.

"Well.. that's good. I feel less silly now I guess" he said talking himself back down to a less joking state.

"No need to feel silly. Feel what you feel, you told me that once" she said as she smiled and put a kiss on his cheek, leaving a little bit of lipstick behind. She pulled away from the kiss, smile still on her face and put her thumb to his cheek attempting to wipe away the lipstick. 

The partied wound down and Scott walked Tessa to the door when Kate said that they were getting ready to go. Scott conversed with Kate and Alma and some other Virtue relatives staying with them as Tessa went to look for her coat and shoes. She came back from the closet and got bundled up to head outside.

"I'll go start the car and warm it up. Always good to see your family, Scott. Merry Christmas" Kate said as she gave Scott a hug and went into give her good friend Alma a hug as well, wishing them all a Merry Christmas before heading outside, leading Tessa's other few family members with her out to the car, including Jordan and her boyfriend.

Once she was ready, Alma gave her a hug and went back to the kitchen. Finally it was Scott's turn to pull her into a hug, taking in as much of her scent that he could, hoping it would last until he would be seeing her next in a couple days. She let her arms snake around his neck, getting as much of the familiar feeling of Scott that she could. 

"See you soon" she whispered into his ear. 

"See you soon, Merry Christmas babe" he whispered back. He pulled away from their embrace and gave her a kiss that was too quick for her liking. He pulled away, but she pulled him back in, obviously not satisfied with the quality of the kiss, wanting something more to last her a few days. He didn't care at this point who was watching, and he didn't see why he needed to. Their relationship was finally out in the open to everyone, so he should be able to kiss Tessa whenever he wants. So he did. And a few family members saw. Whatever. He opened the front door for her, she started to walk out and he held onto her hand as long as he could before she was too far away. He watched her leave, letting the cold air from outside blow it's way into the warm house. Once he shut the door, he felt the last rush of cold air come through, and that was the perfect way to describe what it felt like to be away from Tessa.  
Tessa and Scott spent Christmas separately with their families. They talked a little bit throughout the day via text, not wanting to disrupt each others family time, but enough time spent feeling connected. 

"Did you get my gift yet?" Scott shot her a text before she curled into bed for the night.

"No..what gift? I thought we agreed on no gift giving." Tessa responded.

"Oh, well I broke that. Check your jacket pocket when you get a chance. Slipped it in there last night while we were hugging." 

Tessa immediately got up out of bed. She crept down the stairs, hoping not to wake the rest of her family. She went through both jacket pockets before finding a small envelope with a lump and a piece of paper. She took the envelope out and went to sit down on the chair in front of the fire and read the note in the envelope. 

T,  
This is one of those gifts I should be giving you in person, but nothing about us is traditional, so I don't want this to be either. Please don't freak out. This is not a proposal, but it can be if you want. I was hoping it would be more of a promise, but I mostly picked out this one because the emerald reminds me of your eyes.  
S.

She pulled out the silver ring with a small emerald diamond in the center. She played around with the ring, trying it on each finger, eventually putting it on her ring finger. She wasn't freaking out like he thought she would, it wasn't a proposal after all. She looked at it from different angles on her finger, deciding she wasn't satisfied with it being on that finger. Not yet. So she moved it to her middle finger, deciding it looked better there. 

"It's a beautiful ring...and I'm wearing it. What did you want to promise?" Tessa responded to his text.

"I'm glad you like it. Now that I will tell you in person. Come over tomorrow for dinner? No parents, just me" he responded again.

"Deal. Thank you, Scott. You didn't have to."

 

The next day, Tessa was wearing the ring on her middle finger when she went over to his place for dinner. He watched her pull up and opened the door for her to come in. He immediately looked for the ring on her hand and brought her hand closer to her eyes.

"Yup, just like your eyes" he said as he looked at the ring, then looked into her eyes. "You look beautiful" he said as he kissed her hello.

"I mean, I'm just wearing a sweater and jeans, but thank you" Tessa was trying to downplay her looks.

"I can't wait. I want to tell you it all now. Honestly this has been eating me alive all day.." Scott admitted as he felt his palms start sweating.

"Okay, tell me now" Tessa said very patiently as she took off her jacket and boots and followed him to the living room. 

"Wow, uh okay. Well this isn't going to be anything I haven't said before but I guess I'll just say it. Uhm yeah so I want to marry you, and that's why I bought the ring, you know an engagement ring.. haha" Scott tried to awkwardly laugh through the conversation as he started pacing around the living room.

Tessa just took a seat on the couch, watching how adorable a nervous Scott could be. She was smiling like an idiot. "Yes, you said that in the card."

"Yes! I did. Was that okay? I mean like.. do you want to .. you know get ..married?" Scott hesitantly asked her. 

"Yes" 

"Yes. Okay wow. Uh okay great-"

"Not now though, you know that, Scott" Tessa said, still watching Scott drive himself crazy. 

"Yeah, of course not. Obviously. But you want to promise?" Scott managed to get out. 

"Yes, I can promise. What do you want me to promise?" Tessa asked him.

"Well I promise that I'm gonna stay, no matter what happens between us. I want you and only you, so I'm gonna work my ass off to make sure that happens. I promise to always over react when you put on a new dress, to make sure you get the point that you will always be the most beautiful woman to me. And I promise that I'll skate with you until were too old to skate anymore. And I also promise that I'll get you chocolate milk and coffee whenever you want it. Oh and if you have to pick tissue paper again, I promise to help you pick it, no matter how boring it is. " Scott concluded, finally making eye contact with her and being able to relax. "Okay your turn now, please" he said eagerly as he sat down on the other end of the couch. 

"Okay. Well, I promise to love you even when you're being ridiculous and making bad choices. I promise that I will do my best to learn to cook so you don't always have to be the one to make dinner. I promise that I will always be honest with you, no matter how hard it is. I promise to let you know when you have something in your teeth, and make sure you leave the house with matching shoes and belt. I promise that I will look at you like there is no one else in the world. And I promise to skate with you when were old also" Tessa said with a little giggle. "Oh, and I promise to laugh at your jokes, even if I don't find them funny."

"I also promise to never agree to a truce again, because that was the dumbest thing we have ever done" Scott said as he let out a laugh. 

"Agreed" Tessa concluded. 

 

The comeback was more than they ever could have imagined. They finished first at every competition they entered, winning by very large margins. Their relationship only got stronger, causing more people to question everything, but they didn't mind. Let them question. Everything was falling into place perfectly setting them up for the most epic final season of skating they could have.

Now it's the Olympic season and Tessa has moved from wearing the ring on her finger to keeping it on a necklace, just so she can wear it all of the time without being constantly harassed by everyone about it. No one knows that Scott had given her the ring last Christmas, and they kind of like having this little secret between them. Not even Jordan knew, and that took a lot in Tessa to not spill on multiple occasions. They talk about the ring every once in a while, but mostly when Tessa pokes fun at Scott for being so nervous. Usually it's before competitions and Tessa says something along the lines of "does this competition even matter to you? You were way more nervous proposing to me" and then she would laugh, he would pretend to annoyed but actually find it hilarious, he would playfully hit her and then they would kiss.  
They had a great summer together, training new programs, getting away to the cottage, spending time with their families, and now they are back together still building their lives, together in Montreal, winning competitions and gearing up for the biggest moment in their careers. Everything they had seemed to worry about in the past about moving slowly and not overstepping boundaries had been thrown out the window. The feelings they had been suppressing for so long had finally caught up to them what seemed to be all at once, making the 20 years of working at this relationship that much more rewarding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAY TUNED FOR THE EPILOGUE!!!


	24. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay on this. My life has been nuts lately. This is very long, I had a lot of thoughts. Here is the end to this mega series. Enjoy :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this goes off the assumption that they are done competing but who knows with them honestly.

September 2018

 

Having their stuff kept at their place in Montreal the last few months was tough, but necessary in order to tie up loose ends in the business aspect, skating school, and little projects each had on the go. Scott was ready to be at home in Ilderton with his family again and Tessa was done with the whole touring thing for the summer. As fun as it was doing stars on ice, a European tour, and a few shows in random cities, it was so good to be back in Canada. They love doing shows but something about after the Olympics makes you want to be with your family celebrating your success, not doing show programs over and over.

Tessa and Scott spent their last few days living in Montreal being tourists. They visited all of the places they loved to go, like the museum, Mont Royal and to the cafe down the street where Scott would go to pick up breakfast on the weekends. Not that they would never come back, but they were hoping they could be in London for a while. The day had finally come. The moving trucks arrived. All of their stuff was packed up and ready to go. Goodbyes to their friends and supports had been spread out over a few days, and they were in their separate cars, guiding the moving trucks back towards Ontario. Tessa's house in London that was being rented during their time away was now vacant and she was ready to occupy it again, with Scott for good.  
Every large piece of furniture was right where they had left it a few years ago, only the table in a slightly different spot. Closer to the window, which Tessa decided she liked. She had come to the house by herself to let the movers in and load boxes in the garage. She knew how important it was for Scott to go to Ilderton first, so she didn't mind. Once the movers had got everything out of the back of the truck, she sent Scott a quick text. 

 

It's all in the garage waiting for you to unpack it...

 

She thought she was funny. She knew she would be waiting for a reply for a while, so she started looking for the box she labeled bedroom to find the sheets and comforter. With this being a priority so she had somewhere to sleep, she dug through the box, found what she needed, and headed up to their bedroom. Over the couple years in Montreal, Tessa made sure that she had switched through comforters many times to keep it fresh, but something about the navy blue comforter they picked out together when Scott first moved in was getting to her. So, she neatly spread the blanket across the bed, reminiscing about a memory that was so simple, but so special.  
Since it was late, and nothing overly productive was going to get done, she went over to her family's home. She spent the night catching up with her parents, who were the only ones in town at the moment. Still waiting for Scott's reply, she checked her phone unnervingly every couple minutes. She knew he was just busy spending time with his family but something about spending 21 years of seeing each other everyday made it really weird when they only shared a few minutes very early in the morning together. So, making it hard to resist, she sent him another one.

 

How's the family? I miss them.

 

She watched it send, returned back to her conversation over tea she was having with her parents. Her mom informed her that Jordan was going to be in town in a couple days and once she had unpacked she was requesting a girls day out. Tessa fully agreed with the idea, considering she had so much fun being with her mom and sister. They also planned to head down the cottage one more time before fall had fully set in. Kate told Tessa to invite Scott and his siblings, making it a fun partying weekend for them.  
It was getting close to midnight and Tessa was heading home to bed. Scott still hadn't replied but again, she knows how he gets around his family, and she wasn't worried. Halfway home, she finally got a phone call from him.

"Hello?" Tessa answered very eagerly.

"Babe, will you please pick me up? I accidentally drank way more then I was planning on.."

"I'll be there in 20 minutes, okay?"

"I love you so much, you know that right?" 

"I love you, drink some water" Tessa said as she hung up.

 

20 minutes later, just like she had said, she pulled into the driveway of the Moir's home. She went up to the door and just walked in like she usually did and saw Scott, his brother and some friends playing video games in the living room. Tessa was so happy to see Scott in this setting. It's not like he got to do this often, and he needed this time to spend with them. She watched them finish up their game when Scott noticed she had arrived. 

"Well, my ride is here folks" Scott announced to his friends after their game. "We can continue this on the weekend" Scott implied, considering he had already made the plans. He got up from where he was sitting on the couch, went over to Tessa and gave her a kiss. He grabbed his shoes and followed her out to the car as they both waved to everyone in the living room, bidding them goodnight. 

"You didn't want to stay over?" Tessa asked him as she started her car and backed out of the driveway. 

"Well, I was going to but then I realized that I would much rather share a bed with you then another dude" Scott said, thinking about the words as he said them. "Also, so sorry I didn't respond to your messages. I lost my phone for a bit, found it and then realized I missed 2 messages and figured I would just phone."

"Not to worry, I figured you were having a good time. I missed you, that's all." Tessa concluded. 

"I missed you so much it hurt." Scott said as he took one of her hands away from the wheel to hold, intermittently placing kissing on the top. 

They continued conversation all the way back home. Scott was out of the car fast, filled up a water bottle and went straight up to bed. It took him actually taking all of his clothes off, laying down and pulling the covers up to realize that this was the navy comforter. Tessa had followed him up, went about her own night time routine, and was mid face cleanse when she heard Scott calling for her from the bedroom. 

"What?" she called into the bedroom, hoping that he would say what he needed to from there so she could finish up. 

"Come here" he called back.

"Can it wait?" this was like an old married couple thing to do. 

"It can but I don't want it to" he responded back. 

"Give me one minute" she said in a sing song tone, hoping it would tie him over.  
She finished up in the bathroom and went into the bedroom, addressing Scott, eagerly wanting to know what was so important. She saw him tucked under the covers, smiling like a goof. 

"What's the smile for?" she asked.

"A few things" he said, waiting for her to invite him to share. 

Tessa went over to her side and crawled in next to him. "Okay, what are those things?" 

"Number 1" Scott started, as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Did I ever mention how much I love this comforter?" 

Tessa giggled before responding. "I figured you would notice if I put this one back on."

"Don't get me wrong, you have great style. I liked the other ones, but this one is my favorite." 

"Mine too" she said smiling at him. "Number 2?" she asked.

"Number 2. I was offered a part time broadcasting gig with CBC sports."

"Scott! That's amazing! Congratulations!" Tessa said excitedly and planting a kiss on him. 

"Thanks! The only thing is, it requires me to go back and forth to Toronto a lot. I told them I would think about it, but really I wanted your opinion." He said to her, pretty seriously.

"Toronto isn't too far, and this is such an amazing opportunity, you cant pass this up, Scott. We will make it work. Besides, I'll have to go to Toronto lots for many different projects" she said, trying to make it better. "Call them back, tell them you're in." She said assured, with a smile.

"Okay, thanks, I will" he said. He started to breathe heavier as he thought about number 3, and Tessa could tell it was something big, but she didn't interrupt, she let him collect himself cause she had a feeling she would want to hear it. "Number 3" he started.

"Number 3" she repeated softly. 

"Do you have that ring handy?" Scott asked her nervously. 

"I just took it off, I don't sleep with it in case I lose it. I'm surprised no one has noticed I wear a necklace all the time for the last 2 years, unless they have and just haven't said anything but-" Tessa was ranting because she knew what was coming, before Scott cut her off.

"Marry me" he said simply, shifting to her in the bed, so his whole body was facing hers. 

She turned her head to him, keeping her body still. She was genuinely surprised that he was asking her at this moment. "Oh- uh-wow" she wasn't sure what to say.

"Consider this the proposal. I didn't want it to be tradition, we aren't traditional, Tessa." 

"No-I mean, no we aren't traditional. Wow.." she stumbled out, trying to comprehend what was happening. 

"I know we didn't agree on this time frame but I couldn't help it. I just- I-"

"Yes." She said softly and simply, her smile growing bigger.

"Yes?" he asked to confirm what she said. 

"Yes" she said as she leaned in for a kiss.

Scott couldn't have pictured a more perfect proposal. Even though he is the romantic type, he didn't want to do anything over the top because he knew Tessa better than that. 

 

October 2018

 

They had their weekend at the cottage, and Tessa had worn her ring to announce to her siblings that this was real. She didn't want to do anything formal, like sitting them all down and telling them. She just wore it, and when someone asked, she would confirm their suspicions. Everyone was so happy for them and were not afraid to tell them that they knew this would happen. Word spread quick and before they knew it, there was an engagement party planned at the farm. It was for close family and friends and Tessa and Scott didn't mind, Tessa just didn't feel the need for a party.

"You know I don't see why engagement parties are a thing" Tessa said as she lifted her hair up, allowing Scott access to zip up her dress. 

"It's just an excuse for me to see you in a beautiful dress" he said as he smiled at her in the mirror and kissed her neck and shoulder.

They went to the party, enjoyed the company of their friends and family, and had forgotten after a while what it was even for. People knew that this was inevitable so it wasn't a huge deal in the first place. It turned out to be a time for them to catch up with old friends, have a few drinks, and just be themselves.

 

December 2018

They were in the living room, decorating the Christmas tree they went out earlier to pick.

"No gifts for real this year, Scott." Tessa said firmly.

"How are we supposed to have our first Christmas together by ourselves if there are no gifts?" Scott whined.

"Ugh, I guess..." Tessa considered his point and realized it made sense. "I just don't know what to get you. I want it to be special, but that is hard to do" she said, frustrated. 

"Anything I get from you is special" Scott reassured her, and she peered her head around the tree, smiled and blushed at him. 

Scott ended up getting Tessa a couple gag gifts, mostly poking fun at her lack of cooking skills, but he made up for it with a few very nice gifts, including a new case for all of their medals, which is what she was hoping to get for a long time. He also got her a card for a spa day at her favorite spa, and noting that he got Jordan one too so they could make a day out of it.

Tessa also poked fun at Scott, and got him some little gifts. She also bought him a new game system and games, considering they didn't have one at their house, and every time he wanted to play video games, he would go to his parents. She got a few new ties, considering his job required the professional look and then Tessa finished off her gifts with cufflinks. One T, one S. 

 

April 2020

They stayed engaged for a long time, living out this time in their life to the most that they could. But that day was here. The scene was set in a nice field in Ilderton, the guests were all there, Scott was in his nicest tuxedo, finishing it with a bowtie, as per Tessa's request. And Tessa was in another room, dressed in white, waiting to meet Scott at the end of the aisle. The ceremony was small, just the way they wanted it. Scott cried like he was expecting to when he saw Tessa walk down the aisle. He couldn't help it. He's an emotional guy. They shared a more extended version of the vows they made 4 years ago on the couch in Scott's house, when he was so nervous to be "proposing in the first place".  
Later that night, when the reception was in it's peak, Scott really wanted to dance, but he also really wanted a minute alone with Tessa. Since that was almost in this situation, he used their first dance as that time. They got into a close dance hold and swayed back and forth to the music. 

"This is so strange to me" Scott spoke into Tessa's ear. 

"What do you mean?" she was confused but tried not to have a huge reaction, considering everyone was watching them as she spoke back. 

"We're married. We dated when we were seven and nine, tried again when we were 13 and 15, again at 22 and 24. And now we're here. How did this happen?" Scott asked, coming to the actual moment of realization. 

"How many kids do you want?" Tessa asked out of nowhere. 

"Ideally 4 but realistically 2.... wait" Scott realized he fully admitted that. 

Tessa giggled and buried her face into his neck, continuing to sway to the music. 

"How many kids... do you want..?" Scott asked slowly.

"Ideally 4 but realistically 2" she giggled again. "I think we would go crazy with 4" she admitted and pulled back and smiled at him. 

"I agree" he said as he met her gaze. As the music ended, they shared a small soft kiss as they invited everyone to the dance floor to keep the party going. The rest of the night went better than they could have imagined. Once the reception died down, they went to their house quick to change, and headed to the airport for the overnight flight to Monaco for their honeymoon. 

June 2021

They continued to do summertime tours, and shows every once in a while to keep their vow of skating together till they were too old to skate anymore. But now they were skating as a married couple, which made it way more exciting for spectators. They decided to stay local for this summer doing stars on ice, and skate Niagara. Just enough shows to keep them in it, but not enough to burn them out. With Scott now working full time for CBC, and a pending move to Toronto, it was just the escape they needed. 

December 2021

Tessa found out she was pregnant. She was alone at their house in Toronto while Scott was working. She wanted to tell him so badly, but what she didn't want to tell him was that she didn't want to raise their kid in Toronto. When he got home at the end of the day, he found Tessa on the couch still in pajamas. 

"Hey babe.. what's wrong?" he said almost immediately after noticing her. 

"Nothing, just decided to take the day off. " He didn't buy it. "Come sit with me" she said, patting to the spot next to her on the couch. He did what he was told and plopped next to her on the couch, placing a kiss on her forehead. "How was your day?" she asked him. 

"Well, I did something crazy, please don't freak out." Scott said as he braced himself for what Tessa would say. 

"Scott.. what did you do?" she grew concerned.

"Well, I almost quit-"

"What?"

"But I didn't. I just told them I wanted to go back to part time."

"Oh... wait, why did you do that?" Tessa asked him. 

"I want to go home. I want to move home, Tess" he said, pleading with her.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be..." Tessa muttered to herself. 

"What was?" Scott had heard what she said. 

"I was going to tell you that I wanted to move back to London, and that I already found a job there..." she said wanting to say one more thing, but holding back. 

"Oh, so you aren't mad?" Scott asked surprised.

"No, not at all actually.."

"Wait, there's something else, I can see it" Scott said, looking at her, studying her face.

"Well yes there is" she said.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant, and I want our kid to grow up close to his or her family" she said very indifferently, hoping to gauge Scott's reaction. 

"You're-oh my- are you serious" Scott said, jaw dropped, hoping so badly this was real.

"Yeah" Tessa said with her sweet smile.

And with that, Scott had picked her up off of the couch and spun her around in his arms until she giggled and pleaded with him to put her down. He put his hands on her stomach, shared a kiss and a smile with his wife and child. 

 

June- August 2022

They were moved back into their home in London for a few months now, except now they were focused on converting the guest bedroom into a nursery. Tessa was so thrilled when they found out they were having a girl, and even though Scott wanted a boy, he cried at the news. They picked out a light pink paint and grey furniture that matched theirs, tying the whole theme of the house together. Tessa had filled the closet with little outfits her and her mom and sister had picked out already while Scott put together the furniture they had bought earlier that day. They made sure they had a little pair of white skates on one of the shelves in the room. A very symbolic decoration. 

It was nine months later when Amelia Virtue Moir was born. She was perfect. A very healthy mix of what both parents looked like. They were excited to show her off to their friends and family, but most importantly start this new chapter in their lives. 

September 2024

Tessa was awake very early this morning as she opened the curtains a little bit to peek outside to see what the weather would be like. It was a windy fall day, but she couldn't help but shake the smile from her face. It was the first day they were going to take Amelia skating at the Ilderton rink and also the day she was going to tell Scott she was pregnant again. Her thoughts were interrupted when their two year old came running into their room yelling "skating!" as she jumped on the bed next to Scott who was still sleeping. Tessa turned her attention away from the window to her two year old who had managed to find a way to jump on their bed all by herself. 

"Good morning cutie" Tessa said as she went back over to her bed to give Amelia a morning kiss and cuddles. Amelia was laying between her parents when she kept repeating skating with a little giggle that could only be described as Tessa. "Yeah, we're going to go skating today!" Tessa said back to her, which finally woke Scott up.  
Scott's eyes were smiling before he could even open them all the way. He was so excited to take Amelia skating today. Perks of having parents who practically own the rink is that they get an ice time to themselves. "Hi baby girl, I heard you're excited to skate" Scott said to his daughter. She just kept saying "skating". They have been telling her about this for weeks, only because both Tessa and Scott were so excited. Scott leaned over his daughter to kiss Tessa good morning, and then Tessa took Amelia to her room to get her ready. 

Amelia lasted 15 minutes before all she could say was "cold". Alma was at the rink so after Tessa and Scott's short time with Amelia, Alma offered to take her to warm her up while they had a chance to skate again. They got right back into it as if hadn't been 6 years since they last competed. They waltzed around the rink and as Scott tried to lift Tessa up, she was quick to tell him not to.

"Wait, are you pregnant?" Scott asked her as he put her back down carefully. 

Tessa gave him a huge bright smile. 

"Are you serious?" the same reaction he had when he found out about Amelia. He picked her up anyways and swung her around. He was laughing out of excitement but was also nervous and Tessa could sense it. 

"We can do this. Look at everything else we have done!" Tessa told him as he set her down.

"No matter what, we're together. No matter what, I love you." Scott said as he leaned in and kissed Tessa as they continued to skate around the rink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone so much for reading and keeping up! I appreciate it so much :)

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's not alot so far about their relationship, but stick with it, it will get there, I promise!


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